Minister of Justice inspects immigration facilities at Queen Beatrix Airport.
ORANJESTAD—Minister of Justice, mr. drs. Arthur Dowers recently paid an official working visit to Queen Beatrix Airport to inspect the facilities under his responsibility.
He visited the immigration facilities that recently received negative media attention due to long queues for passengers leaving Aruba.
Minister Dowers emphasized that Aruba is struggling with a "luxury problem": an extremely high level of tourism that the current infrastructure cannot optimally serve. There are more tourists than our current system can quickly handle, but this is no reason to do nothing. Aruba must continue to invest in practical and sustainable solutions.
In the past, the government invested in modern systems such as Happy Flow and E-Gates, which are part of the modernization and acceleration of the pre-departure migration process. However, the current situation requires a serious assessment of the steps for implementation. The goal is to improve the visitor's experience leaving Aruba and ensure that the departure process is in an air-conditioned environment and not in the heat on the sidewalk.
Minister Dowers reaffirmed his commitment to continue working with the relevant authorities, including the Department of Immigration, AAA NV, and other key players, to achieve concrete and sustainable improvements that will bring our airport to a world-class level.
The inspection is part of an effort to evaluate the operation of the facilities at our judicial entrances and exits and work towards an operational model that benefits both visitors and our local population.