Saint Martin buys Air Antilles
Point-á-Pitre — The Commercial Court in Guadeloupe ruled on Friday that Cipim (the holding company of the Edeis Group) and the community of Saint Martin will take over part of Air Antilles.
Air Guyane is not part of the deal, so this airline has been declared bankrupt. Air Antilles and Air Guyane were part of the Interregional Express Airline (Caire) which placed itself in liquidation in August. The court’s decision means that 176 of the 309 employees of Caire will be laid off.
Louis Mussington, the president of the Collectivité de Saint Martin is delighted with the court’s decision. “The court has understood the approach of the community and its partner Edeis. We are part of an innovative logic of action and public policies, serving territorial development and continuity and cooperation in our region.”
Mussington emphasized the importance of the community “to position itself as a committed and strong public actor in favor of the general interest. With the help of our experts we hope to find a balance between a virtuous economic model and an obligation of territorial continuity and the fight against the cost of living,” Mussington stated. “I would like to reassure employees, users of our lines and our partners that we will do everything we can to restore dialogue and trust.”
Edeis-President Jean Luc Schnoebelen said that he takes pride in the takeover. “It is a great responsibility to take over Air Antilles two decades after its creation. We are convinced that the West Indians must be able to benefit from an accessible and adapted transport offer, essential to opening up their territories.”
The COM/Edeis consortium takes over 120 employees and four planes, while a fifth plane will be added to the fleet shortly. The airline will serve routes from Point-á-Pitre to Fort de France, Saint Martin (Grand Case) and Saint Barthélemy. It will create a new company called New Air Antilles with a capital of €2 million ($2.12 million). The Collectivité de Saint Martin holds 60 percent of the shares, Edeis the other 40 percent.
###
Related news: Bankruptcy looms for Air Antilles
