Edmond Richard -<\/strong> Air Cara\u00efbes is subject to a fierce competition<\/strong> between mainland France and the Caribbean, resulting in an increase of price war<\/strong> to which is added the surge in oil prices. oil<\/strong>. Against this backdrop, Air Cara\u00efbes is holding up rather well. We carried 1.61 million passengers in 2018, and made a profit, albeit not as strong as in 2017 due to the impact of oil, but a profit nonetheless! In fact, it's our fourteenth profit<\/strong> over our fifteen years of existence. For the first few months of 2019, I can simply say that we are ahead of our budget estimates.<\/p>\n Edmond Richard -<\/strong> The commissioning of the\u00a0first Airbus A350-900<\/strong>\u00a0Air Cara\u00efbes on 29th July<\/strong> means greater comfort on board and increased frequencies on our various routes. First of all, the Airbus A350 offers a larger business class, with 18 seats instead of 12 on our current Airbus A330s. The aircraft will be introduced on the Paris-Cayenne route and we will gradually increase the number of flights from four to six a week between now and December. In fact, there is a real business demand<\/strong> - which represents roughly 20 to 25% of the total traffic on the line - due to the presence of the Kourou space centre<\/strong>. We are to receive two Airbus A350-1000s which will be put into service on Guadeloupe and Martinique. It will enableincrease our seat capacity by 10%<\/strong>. The Airbus A350 will also operate regular services to the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n Edmond Richard -<\/strong> We're pleased to see that there's a real recovery<\/strong> demand. There are all these reconstruction sites<\/strong> in the island after the typhoon of 2017, and this is generating significant business flows. We are also now seeing a return in leisure traffic. As a result, we are increasing the number of direct weekly frequencies to Paris from two to three, operated by a completely reconfigured Airbus A330-200. Alternatively, we are offering a daily flight via Pointe \u00e0 Pitre.<\/p>\n Edmond Richard -<\/strong> We will be offering more frequencies or more seats on certain destinations, including Cuba<\/strong> and we will regularly serve Port au Prince and Punta Cana by Airbus A350.<\/p>\n Your top story at the moment is the arrival in the fleet of the first Airbus A350. What can business travellers expect from it?<\/h3>\n
How is traffic at Saint Martin?<\/h3>\n
Are you increasing your capacity in other destinations this winter?<\/h3>\n