After months of waiting, Air Antilles has just obtained its Air Transport Certificate (AOC), which will enable this new regional airline to start flying soon, probably in June. Born from the ashes of the eponymous company which will be wound up in August 2023 (at the same time as Air Guyane), intends to resume services to the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin with a fleet of 4 aircraft, 3 ATRs and 1 Twin Otter. Flights between Pointe-à-Pitre and Saint-Barthélemy will be the first to resume.
Ticket distribution should also begin in the next few days on the Airantilles.com website, in its points of sale and in travel agencies. Promotional fares will be offered from the start of sales to support this relaunch. The carrier hopes to quickly rival Air Caraïbes and Air France, which have invested Caribbean skies left vacant since the end of its flights in the summer of 2023.
Safety at the heart of this commercial recovery
Since its takeover, Air Antilles has benefited from the financial support of two shareholders, the local authority of Saint-Martin and Edeis, a specialist engineering and infrastructure management group. In recent months, " the company has worked methodically to overcoming obstacles such as ordering parts to modernise aircraft, modifying the reservation system and reviewing internal process organisations" says the company in a press release. It added: " The Air Transport Certificate is much more than just a flight permit. It attests to Air Antilles' unwavering commitment to aviation safety." .
This is enough to make us forget the accident that occurred in August 2023 between a Twin Otter belonging to the previous company and a helicopter parked alongside the runway at Saint-Barthélemy airport. Issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Directorate, CTA is mandatoryThis is the same as the operating licence required to operate commercial airlines in France.
