Sint Maarten Airport Smoking Areas

By , Author, Air Travel Writer · Updated

Smoke outside the terminal building at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Sint Maarten’s only airport, on the Dutch side of the island in Simpson Bay. The airport does not currently publish a confirmed indoor or airside smoking area, and a former airside smoking room has been reported closed since 2024.

How Sint Maarten Airport Smoking Works

Sint Maarten has no comprehensive national law banning smoking in privately-run venues; the island’s tobacco ordinance targets government-managed public buildings, so airports, restaurants and bars largely set their own rules:

  • No confirmed indoor or airside smoking area — SXM’s former smoking room, between gates C3 and C4, has been reported closed since around 2024
  • Smoking is at the outdoor areas around the terminal building, landside
  • E-cigarettes follow the same practical rule as cigarettes — no confirmed indoor option, so use the outdoor landside areas

The Airport

Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM). Sint Maarten’s only airport, in Simpson Bay. Sint Maarten Airport’s smoking area is the outdoor space around the terminal, landside — smoke before you clear security, since the former airside smoking room between gates C3 and C4 has been reported closed by multiple 2025 travellers.

Tips for Smokers at Sint Maarten Airport

  • Plan to smoke before check-in or security — the former airside smoking room has been reported closed since around 2024
  • E-cigarette rules are unregulated indoors nationally; with no confirmed indoor smoking area at the airport, treat vaping the same as smoking and use the outdoor areas
  • Connecting passengers have no confirmed airside smoking option and would need to exit and re-clear security to reach the outdoor areas
  • Check current status on arrival, since travellers report the smoking room’s condition has changed more than once in recent years

Sint Maarten Airport Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security

AirportAfter securityIndoor roomOutdoor area
Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM)––Yes

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you smoke at Sint Maarten's airport (SXM)?

Yes — outside the terminal building, landside, before you check in or clear security. Princess Juliana International Airport publishes no designated indoor or airside smoking area.

Is there a smoking area after security at Sint Maarten Airport?

SXM once had a smoking room airside, between gates C3 and C4; travellers posting in a Sint Maarten travellers’ Facebook group in July 2025 described it as closed, consistent with an April 2025 report that it had been out of order for about a year. Smoke landside before security instead.

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

Yes — the airport publishes no separate rule for e-cigarettes, and Sint Maarten has no comprehensive law banning indoor vaping. With no confirmed indoor smoking area at the airport, use the outdoor landside areas for vaping as well as cigarettes.

Where can I smoke at Sint Maarten Airport?

Outside the terminal building, landside, before check-in or security. Travellers report being able to smoke freely in the outdoor areas around the terminal; the airport does not publish a specific marked location.

Can you smoke inside the terminal at Sint Maarten Airport?

The airport publishes no rule confirming a working indoor smoking facility, and the reported airside smoking room between gates C3 and C4 has been described as closed since around 2024. Step outside the terminal building, landside, for the available outdoor option.