At the Air Antilles press conference Monday were, from left: Grand Case Airport Director Pascal Marcoux, Collectivité President Louis Mussington, Air Antilles President Jerôme Arnaud, and Air Antilles Director General Samuel Braconnier. (Robert Luckock photo)
GRAND CASE--Air Antilles executives announced at a press conference at Grand Case Airport on Monday a flight will depart from Saint-Martin to Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, at 7:30am Monday to Friday from January 6, 2025.
This new service will enable the people of Saint-Martin to spend a day in Guadeloupe and it will be especially convenient for business professionals. Operated with a 19-seat Twin Otter, this flight will depart from Grand-Case at 7:30am, arriving in Guadeloupe at 8:30am with a late afternoon return.
In addition, Air Antilles is detailing its new flight schedule programme, designed to offer maximum connectivity between the Antilles territories: Up to four daily rotations between Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) and Fort-de-France (FDF) and Saint-Martin (SFG), guaranteeing the possibility of making a round trip within the day between the islands and greater flexibility in the choice of timetables.
There will be up to five daily rotations between Pointe-à-Pitre and Saint-Barthélemy during peak periods, to meet both the needs of residents and the tourist market demand. These new frequencies offer greater flexibility and better connectivity, whether for personal, family or professional business travel.
In addition Air Antilles is helping families cope with the high cost of living by introducing a special offer for the festive season, with special fares for families, helping them to reunite. For the Christmas period, all children will benefit from a 50% reduction on the ticket price, excluding tax.
Asked to clarify total investment in Air Antilles so far, Collectivité President Louis Mussington said it is 17 million euros, not 20 million as had previously been written.
“We are very optimistic about the future of the airline. Some attractive offers have already been announced. The aircraft that were undergoing maintenance in Morocco will be returning to operation, so it is all evolving in a very satisfactory manner and the airline will soon be profitable,” he said.
Mussington added that he is hopeful of a partnership between Air Antilles and WINAIR to cover more Caribbean destinations, something that he had put forward in his St. Martin’s Day speech.
Air Antilles Director General Samuel Braconnier said there was a strong demand for the early morning flight from business travellers in Saint-Martin.
“That was made possible because we are getting our aircraft back after their maintenance checks. We have two right now, an ATR 72 and a Twin Otter. Two more ATR 72s and a Twin Otter will be returning by the end of December so we will have five planes operating in total,” Braconnier explained. “With five aircraft that allows us to double our capacity and double frequencies.
Asked to comment about some negative press that the Collectivité was investing huge sums with no return when only one aircraft was operating, Braconnier replied: “Launching an airline is never easy. It needs considerable amounts of money for operational costs, to maintain the aircraft, to recruit and train employees.
“It is always costly at the beginning. But our company’s efficient business model is designed to handle that. We expect to reach a turnaround point quickly that will make the airline profitable for the Collectivité and the Edeis Group. The investment is not lost, it’s investment in the future.”
