Smoking at Curaçao Airport (CUR)

Smoke in the open air outside Curaçao International Airport (CUR), also known as Hato, the island’s only airport. Curaçao’s 1996 Tobacco Use Restriction Ordinance restricts smoking inside enclosed public and commercial places, including the airport terminal; open-air smoking outside the building is permitted, and no designated or signed area is currently confirmed.

How Curaçaoan Airport Smoking Works

Curaçao’s Tobacco Use Restriction Ordinance (P.B. 1996, no. 55, as amended) restricts smoking in enclosed public and commercial places, and the airport terminal falls under that rule:

No smoking area indoors or airside — the terminal, including the departure gate area, is enclosed and covered by the restriction
Open-air smoking is permitted outside the terminal building; no designated or signed area is currently confirmed
E-cigarettes were not covered by the national ordinance as of December 2024 — a proposal to extend the smoking ban to vaping was before parliament at that date, so the airport publishes no separate rule

The Airport

Curaçao International Airport (CUR). The island’s only airport, near Willemstad. Curaçao Airport’s smoking area is the open air outside the terminal — smoke before you clear security, because the building and departure gates are entirely smoke-free.

Tips for Smokers at Curaçao Airport

The terminal is smoke-free throughout — plan to smoke before check-in or security, or accept a no-smoking layover
E-cigarette rules were unsettled nationally as of December 2024; treat vaping the same as smoking and use the open-air area outside the terminal
Connecting passengers have no airside smoking option and would need to exit and re-clear security to reach the open-air area
The airport is still commonly called Hato on signage, maps and in local usage

Curaçao Airport Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security

Airport	After security	Indoor room	Outdoor area
Curaçao International Airport (CUR)	–	–	Yes

Last updated: September 1, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you smoke at Curaçao's airport (CUR)?

Yes — in the open air outside the terminal building. Curaçao’s 1996 Tobacco Use Restriction Ordinance restricts smoking in enclosed public and commercial places, and the airport terminal is treated as one of those spaces; no designated area is currently confirmed.

Is there a smoking area after security at Curaçao Airport?

There is no smoking area past security at CUR — the departure gate area is inside the enclosed terminal and covered by the same smoke-free rule as the rest of the building. Smoke outside before you go through.

Are e-cigarettes and vapes allowed at Curaçao's airport?

Yes — as of December 2024, Curaçao’s tobacco ordinance did not extend the indoor smoking ban to e-cigarettes, and the airport publishes no separate rule of its own. A proposal to bring vaping under the same restrictions as tobacco was before parliament at that date; use the open-air area outside the terminal to be safe.

Where can I smoke at Curaçao Airport?

In the open air outside the terminal building, before check-in or security. No designated or signed smoking spot is officially confirmed at Curaçao International Airport, also known as Hato.

Can you smoke inside the terminal at Curaçao Airport?

The terminal building, including the departure gate area, is an enclosed public place covered by Curaçao’s Tobacco Use Restriction Ordinance, so smoking is not permitted anywhere inside. Step outside the building for the open-air option before you check in or clear security.