After seven months of waiting, the regional company Air Antilles has obtained its air carrier certificate and hopes “fly again in less than a month”, announced Friday May 24 to Agence France-Presse (AFP), its president, Jérôme Arnaud. “There are still small steps to take, still a few authorizations to obtain for the planes to restart”he added.
Air Antilles was the only air carrier with Air Caraibes to serve the French islands of this region until the judicial liquidation of its parent company, the Caire group (Compagnie airline interregionale express), in August 2023. The following month, the court of commerce of Pointe-à-Pitre had validated the partial takeover of Cairo by Cipim (holding of the Edéis group), allied with the community of Saint-Martin, but the new company Air Antilles was waiting to obtain this document allowing it to take over his flights.
“We aim to launch ticketing by next week, on our site and in all travel agencies”specified Mr. Arnaud, warning that “not all lines [seraient] not open from the start ». “It is very likely that the Pointe-à-Pitre-Saint-Barthélémy flight will be opened first”he estimated.
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A fleet of four planes
The company, which employs 120 employees, will be able to “connect the islands of Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin and Guadeloupe in the coming days, thanks to its fleet of four aircraft (three ATRs and one Twin Otter)”, she detailed in a press release. Initially, its planes will not serve abroad.
The relaunch of the company is closely scrutinized by overseas elected officials, the question of the price of tickets to connect the different islands of the French West Indies, often considered too expensive, being very sensitive. Since the liquidation of Air Antilles, Air Caraibes has occupied this niche alone.
This air transport certificate granted to Air Antilles “marks a crucial milestone for the development of our regional air connectivity”underlined Louis Mussington, president of the Collectivity of Saint-Martin.
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