An ATR aircraft of Air Antilles.
PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Airways International NV Winair has had to cancel flights to Curaçao and Aruba due to problems with operating partner Air Antilles. Only the flights with Twin-Otters, including to Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Barths, will continue.
The leased aircraft of the type ATR (Avions de transport régional) of Air Antilles remain grounded by order of the French Civil Aviation Authority DGAC. The ATR42 aircraft that Winair had in use have been at Princess Juliana International Airport for inspection since Friday.
French airline Air Antilles operates a total of 11 aircraft from Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe. The maintenance schedules of these airplanes have not been respected, according to DGAC. The aviation authority wrote to Air Antilles: “During the follow-up of your organisation since the beginning of 2021, we have noted eight significant non-conformities with regard to the ATR and Twin fleets, which demonstrate that your management system does not allow to verify compliance with the procedures necessary to ensure the airworthiness of this fleet of aircraft, and the adequacy of the procedures.”
As a result, all Air Antilles routes between Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Maarten, Dominica and the Caribbean islands have been cancelled until further notice, while fleet maintenance is carried out. The Guadeloupean company “is doing everything in its power to transport passengers affected by these disruptions and return to a normal situation as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement.
Winair assumed that it will take at least until September 5, before the leased aircraft can be used again. This mainly concerns flights between St. Maarten and the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao). “We are looking for ways to have the flights operated by other partners.”
