WILLEMSTAD - Winair wants to add four extra weekly flights between Sint Maarten and Curaçao, but the Curaçao authorities have only granted permission for two weeks. This decision comes as a surprise to Winair, says director Hans van de Velde.
Winair currently operates seven flights per week to and from Curaçao, with connections to Aruba and Bonaire. The plan is to increase the number of flights to ten per week starting July 1, with additional flights on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. This extra capacity is needed after the withdrawal of Curaçao's JetAir, which resulted in a reduction of 400 seats per week on this route.
Van de Velde is unpleasantly surprised by the decision of the authorities in Willemstad. “There are treaties regarding the freedom of transport between the islands. We cannot find any reason to not allow these flights,” he says. Winair has the rights to transport passengers between Aruba and Curaçao, provided Sint Maarten is part of the route.
Uncertainty
The director emphasizes that Winair has adjusted the routes within their network from Sint Maarten to make an extra ATR aircraft available. “We really plan to fly ten times a week starting July 1, but we don't understand the decision of the Curaçao authorities to only give the green light for a two-week period. We are not getting a clear answer.”
Van de Velde points out the economic importance of these extra flights for both Curaçao and Sint Maarten. “Given the importance for the economies of both islands, I hope the governments can resolve this quickly,” says Van de Velde.
The Netherlands
Besides the benefit to the local economy, the Dutch government would also gain from the extra flights. The Netherlands is aiming for more rapid connections between the BES islands (Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius), for which the hub on Sint Maarten is crucial.
It is now a matter of waiting for further decisions from the Curaçao authorities, in the hope that a definitive solution to the capacity problem on the regional air routes will soon be reached.
