on May 31, 1936. American soldiers arrived on Bonaire in the second half of 1943 and their commander stated that a new airport had to be built. In December 1943, construction began in the vicinity of where the airport is today. The new airport, named "Flamingo Airport", was put into use in 1945. This was a big step forward for Bonaire and its aviation. A small terminal was built that was suitable for the number of passengers at the time. This building was used until 1976. The construction of a new runway began in the last months of 1953 and was completed in 1955. The small terminal had been extended with a terrace where luggage could be delivered. The runway was extended and expanded several times. In 1960, the runway had a length of 1430 meters and a width of 30 meters. Hotels and interested parties on the island continued to push for a further extension of the runway so that charter flights from the United States were able to land here. Those flights were typically operated with McDonnell Douglas DC-8 or Boeing 707 aircraft. In 1970 the runway was extended to a length of 1750 meters and a width of 30 meters, enough for a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 to land and take-off fully loaded. On June 7, 1974, a public tender for the construction of a new terminal building was made. The building became operational in 1976. Meanwhile, hotels and foreign investors continued to insist that the runway be extended further. This was needed before any more hotels could be built. In 1980 the runway was again extended to 2400 meters long and 45 meters wide, and in October 2000 another extension was carried out, resulting in the current runway length of 2,880 meters to facilitate the largest airliners on intercontinental flights. The Dutch national carrier, KLM, used the airport to refuel planes en route from Amsterdam to Ecuador and Peru, using MD-11 and Boeing 747 between 1997 and 2011. Airport information and facilities Overview The first Bonaire-Miami flight took place on April 19, 1980, which was permitted due to the runway extension of that year. The current runway of 2880m is long enough for flights to Europe with a maximum take-off weight. KLM began with flights to Peru and later to Ecuador with a fuel stop on Bonaire in 2002. In recent years, the facilities at the airport