SXM Spot1
Sint Maarten Princess Juliana – Spotting Guide
- last modified on May 11, 2026
SXM is one of the biggest and most popular, if not the most popular airport in the Caribbean. Every spotter has seen the famous pictures or videos from the KLM Jumbo´s or the Air France A340´s which are making a low approach over the beach above the visitor´s heads and dreamed about to visit this location one day. The airport is located on the dutch side of the island whilst the french side has with Grand Case its on small regional airport.
With only one active runway and a terminal equipped with four jet bridges, the aeral of SXM is not that big. But for all that, the apron is totally cramped and full with biz jets in all sizes, from the smaller Cessna Citation up to the huge BBJ or Gulfstream. The airport is compared with other airports in the Carribean one of the bigger ones, has a nice variety of airlines and offers a huge number of movements with a lot of connections to other surrounding islands.
The traffic is dominated by business jets in all sizes and the small regional airlines like Winair or Windward Express, which operating a shuttle service between SXM and the island of Saint Barthelemy. There after you will see a lot of airlines from the USA like United, Delta, American Airlines, Spirit, Jetblue and Frontier. KLM use the A330 (no longer the 747) for its flights to/from Amsterdam whilst AF takes the A330 to and from Paris. Corsair and Air Caraïbes using heavy equipment too for their flights to France. Amerijet operates a Boeing 767 freighter service from MIA. The morning is a bit quiet and the bigger stuff begins to arrive in the afternoon. There are many movements at this airport, especially from the smaller props which are flying frequently between SXM and SBH so it is not becoming boring.
A great webcam can be found here: SXM Airport Webcam
Written by Julian Mittnacht and Martin Rogosz, Björn Düwel, Ethen Cotton and Yannick Delamarre. Last visit and updae: November 2023.
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather |  |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 10/28 | 2.300m (7.546ft) Asphalt |
| Terminals | All airlines are served at the same Terminal |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | No need. |
| Car/Public Transport | No need for a car as you can easily walk from the terminal around the southern locations and take a cab. A taxi between SXM and Grand Case airport cost 35 USD and the ride takes up to 30 minutes. |
| Restrooms | Sunset Beach Bar at Spot 1 or inside the terminal. |
| Drinks/Food | Sunset Beach Bar at Spot 1 and inside the terminal with a KFC, Snack Bar etc. |
| Hotels | On the north side there are some Resorts where you can stay and take your pictures from your room or the pool area. But you have backlit for almost the whole day. We recommend to stay in one of the apartments on the south side of the runway. |
| Season | More traffic during the winter season. Lot of US citizen spend their winter holidays in the Caribbean. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 10/28 | RWY 10 is used for all arrivals as there is a high mountain on the other end of the runway. Departures usually taking place on 10 too but I have seen few departures from 28 if there is less traffic. Some US carriers prefer a 28 departures as it offers an easier departure route towards the US. |
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Spot #1 – Maho Beach – Arrivals & Departures RWY 10 |
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| WHERE | The most popular location is ‘Maho Beach’ which is located under the approach path of Runway 10. The Beach is very easy to find! When leaving the Terminal just follow the airport road westwards until you see the beach and hotels in the distance after 10 to 15 minutes. If you start elsewhere on the island just use a cab and usually the driver knows where the beach is. There is not really an exact location where you have to stand as you have so many different angels and can move around like you want. You can also visit the ‘Sunset Beach Bar’ and take a snack there while you photograph the planes. On the brighter side there is a new French Bakery between Sunset Bar and Sandbar with a covered rooftop terrace overlooking the line-up of Rwy 10. Not good for photos though as there is a flag post right in the middle of the open area. |
| WHAT | All 10 arrivals are take off and taxiway line up shots. Latter can be shoot through the mesh fence (plastic coated, large triangle pattern) in the corner away from the bit with a secondary fence. Not all aircraft are that low like you may have seen on the web, where people almost touch the landing gear. Majority, especially the small props, are still pretty high from this point of view so don´t be dissappointed. |
| TIME | In the winter you can spend almost the whole day at Maho Beach. |
| MISC. | The beach can become very very crowdie with 1000 visitors and more. When I was there, two cruise ships made a stop at Sint Maarten and the beach was full of tourist and it was not easy to find a gap between all those people. The Sunset Beach Bar was crowded as well and I was not able to get a seat. There is a monitor installed, displaying the in- and outbounds. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | For a full frame BN-2 100mm, full frame A320 50mm |
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Spot #2 – Airport Road |
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| WHERE | This spot is located beside the airport’s access road connecting the south of the airport with the terminals. It’s the same route when walking to Maho Beach but just stop when you like the angle. When you leave the terminals just walk down the main road southwestern. |
| WHAT | All landings, departures and taxiies to the runway. Runway 28 departures may have already lifted up. |
| TIME | In the very early mornings and from late afternoon in summer – winter in the afternoons only. |
| MISC. | You can take photos thru the holes which have been made |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-250mm |
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Spot #3 – SXM Spotters Paradise Apartments |
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| WHERE | If you are sick of the crowded Maho Beach and watching for a quiet place to take a break, the SXM Spotters Paradise Apartments is the perfect place to stay! From Spot #1 just continue on the road along the perimeter. Its easy to reach! There is a terrace where you have a great overlook of the airfield and even above the fence. This is a private property and access is only allowed with permission or when you stay over night. |
| WHAT | Good for almost all operations. Runway 28 departures may be too high already but its a rare direction. |
| TIME | In winter you have light for almost the whole day |
| MISC. | We really recommend this location as you have your private apartment, free WiFi and a terrace with a fantastic view |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-200mm, 35mm for a B737 |
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Spot #4 – The Morgan Resort – |
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| WHERE | Viewing terrace of “The Morgan Resort”. The resort is a 2-3 minute walk from Maho Beach. You have a great elevated overview of the action at Maho Beach and dont have to stay in the crowd at the beach. The terrace is part of the hotel and is only accessible for hotel guests. However, it is possible to get access to the hotel via a day pass, including use of the pool area and various others service. Check out the hotels website for details. |
| WHAT | From the terrace you have a perfect elevated view of the arrivals and departures of runway 10. It is also possible to take pictures of aircrafts rotating late on runway 28. You have a good overview of most of the ramps, but these are too far away to take pictures. |
| TIME | In winter you have light for almost the whole day. |
| MISC. | So you can use the terrace for spotting and enjoy the really nice infinity pool area when there is no interesting traffic. There is shadow at some parts of the terrace. Restrooms, a restaurant and a small souvenir shop selling snacks and drinks is located inside the hotel. It is also possible to take pictures of aircraft approaching runway 10 direct from the pool area (the Delta B757 was taken from there). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A330: 70mm, Islander: 300mm |
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Spot #5 – Mary´s Boon Beach Resort |
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| WHERE | The spot on the platform of the “Mary´s Boon Beach Resort” is on the opposite site of the other spotting locations. Coming from the Airport Rd. turn into Sr. Patientia Rd up to the end. You come straight on crossroads Simpson Bay and Sr. Agnes Rd – Turn right and drive until you see the fence. Please note that access is only allowed when you are a hotel guest there. An alternativ spot is a bit further on the streetsible to sit on the wall of the Karakter beach Bar & Restaurant. But ask before spotting and order something! The samples below without the fence in the frame are taken from there. |
| WHAT | Best for landing on RWY10 when the aircraft make the U-Turn. Otherwise also perfect for RWY28 departures (rare) or on RWY10 if the heavies rotate. |
| TIME | In winter you have light for almost the whole day. Depends on which direction you shoot. |
| MISC. | Parking is possible at Simpson Bay Rd, but don’t block private property. Plenty of restaurants in that area. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 35 to 120mm as you are very close. |
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Spot #6 – Tower Mount |
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| WHERE | This spot is located on the north side of the airport. From the Maho beach drive the Rhin Rd in Northern direction and turn right into the Amazone Rd. After a hugh shadowed parking turn right into the next street and follow until you passed the Tower. After around 200m on the right side you will see a private house, on the left side of this house you are able to have a great look onto the ramp. |
| WHAT | Perfect for ramp operations. You can photograph different angles. |
| TIME | In winter only from around 2:30 p.m. in summer from around noon. Heat haze can be a problem. |
| MISC. | A ladder is not necessary. There is nothing nerby, bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
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Spot #7 – Dinghy´s Bar |
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| WHERE | The newly opened Dingh´s Bar provides a nice, covered observation deck. From Maho beach follow Cocovaa/DINGHY’S signal, enter to parking. |
| WHAT | From here you can photograph all movements on the runway as well as the ramp in the far distance. |
| TIME | In winter you have light for almost the whole day. Depends on which direction you shoot. |
| MISC. | No ladder needed as the position is elevated to clear the fence. Food, drinks, parking and restroms. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
#1 all the cruise ship passengers come here! The beach is also very narrow, if you can’t get into the Sunset Bar, be prepared to get your feet wet. The small planes are a bit higher (perfectly doable) but bear in mind the longer haul arrivals are all clustered so check the times. You can still shoot taxi moves through the mesh fence (plastic coated, large triangle pattern) in the corner away from the bit with a secondary fence.
Probably the only airport in the world where you can see 50 people dispatching one plane. And the best shots are arguably them all getting blown off their feet by a heavy takeoff, after signalling the pilot to apply maximum thrust!
Yeah this place can be a nightmare with these drunken cruise ships tourists. Terrible!
I can strongly recommend Royal Islander Club Resort La Terrasse. Not a particularly cheap option, it has a deck next to the pool which overlooks the threshold of runway 10 enabling excellent photographs at close range, subject of course to the sun.
Just west of spot three on White Sands Road is a workshop with a mound of dirt behind it, allowing you to photograph over the fence easily, shaded too. Used on 29th Jan 2025 for arrivals and departures.
Can confirm the higher inner fence in the jet blast area – standing on the crash barrier is no option anymore. On the brighter side there is a new French Bakery between Sunset Bar and Sandbar with a covered rooftop terrace overlooking the line-up of Rwy 10. Not good for photos though as there is a flag post right in the middle of the open area.
Thanks for the confirmation Andreas, I have updated the guide.
-Julian
Also the famous surfboard at Sunset is no more! Arrivals are displayed on a computer monitor, mixed with ads…
the surfboard was there last week 17/09/24 for arrivals. Monitors for departures. No sand on the beach though, only boulders. I believe they get their sand back during the year before losing it again.
According to a friend a second fence about 2,5 meters high has been erected all along the jetblast area. Therefore it is no longer possible to make lineups when standing on the guardrails there. Only near the small bar on the north side (opposite of Sunset Bar) lineups are possible when shooting through the mash.
What is the best time to visit this place?
Hi
I was wondering if someone could take a few shots of Lear 75 C-GVIM (TLK557) this evening around 0051(Z) landing at TNCM?
Thanks!
Hello all. Have just spent over a week here. Some European and US airline traffic, no Canadians and no Charters, Bizjets about as usual. Best day by far is Saturday afternoon. The fence apparently has been repaired, I couldn‘t find any open hole. So apart from the jet blast area, a ladder is needed.
Hi Andreas, are you talking about the holes at spot #2? Can`t remember that holes at Maho Beach #1 were cut into the fence.
-Julian
Hi Julian
I checked the fence from the Maho roundabout to about spot #4. The north side was not of interest to me, so I didn‘t walk up to spot #2.
On my last visit in 2016 there were several large holes at spot #1 and around the corner to the South, which are all gone. The fence looks pretty new, so I guess it was redone after hurricane Irma.
Does anybody know if the SXM Spotters Paradise terrace is accessible without having booked an apartment?