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By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert
Was a feasibility study conducted before investing in Air Antilles? Demonstrating due diligence, especially for high-investment or high-impact initiatives, reflects professionalism. It is standard practice when making an investment. A feasibility study is important because it protects against wasting time, money, political capital, and credibility on a project that cannot succeed.
A feasibility study assesses whether the necessary technology, skills, infrastructure, and operational capacity exist, or can realistically be acquired. This prevents engaging in projects that look good on paper but fail in execution. It identifies risks early by examining technical, financial, legal, and planning constraints; a feasibility study highlights obstacles before major investments are made. Early risk detection significantly reduces the likelihood of costly failure.
It strengthens decision-making through real data. Instead of relying on intuition or enthusiasm, leaders obtain structured evidence on market demand, costs, expected returns, and operational impact. This leads to more confident and defensible decisions.
A feasibility study helps avoid pursuing unfeasible ideas and ensures that resources are directed towards projects with the highest likelihood of success. It also helps to plan for upcoming challenges rather than react to them during the project.
In the past, I conducted feasibility studies for a Swiss-American investment group for airport projects with investments of multiple millions of dollars in the two or three digits. In 90% of cases, I recommended not pursuing the project. (this is not a pitch, I am not available).
From a neutral professional business perspective, the only viable foundation and solution for a restructured Air Antilles or a successor operator may be as follows. A lean, PSO-backed airline with a strong technical partner, and a brutally pruned network is the most realistic path that preserves the brand, jobs, and connectivity. If the politics or capital can’t support that, then the realistic answer is harsher: let the current entity go, and design a new, tightly-governed lifeline operator to replace it.
A PSO in aviation means Public Service Obligation — a legal mechanism where a government contracts an airline to operate essential routes that would not survive commercially, guaranteeing minimum revenue or compensation so the flights keep running.
However, common neutral professional business viewpoints may differ from political or even aviation viewpoints.
As a starter and as for providing what the flying public needs. It may make sense to bring professionals together for a meeting, who are operating an airline and have the experience of dealing with the challenges that the operation of an airline faces. Those may be the executives of Air Caraibes, St.Barth Commuter, and St.Barth Executive. Not with the expectation that they will start reviving Air Antilles or starting a new airline. But rather just to get advice of professionals who are actually flying between the French territories. If the French authorities are willing to make an exception related to cabotage, the participation of an airline like interCaribbean Airways may be included.
(Cabotage in the airline industry means that a foreign airline cannot fly passengers between two points within another country unless that country explicitly allows it. It’s a sovereignty rule designed to protect national carriers and regulate domestic air markets.)
How a PSO works (operationally):
- Government identifies a route as essential
- A tender is issued with required frequencies, aircraft type, fare caps, etc.
- Airlines bid with cost structures and service plans
- Government awards a contract (usually 2–4 years)
- Airline operates the route with guaranteed compensation
- Regulator monitors compliance and safety
The question remains, why wasn’t this, or part of this considered before. It would have been part of a feasibility study. No one single individual can be blamed, but rather all involved in the planning and decision making, regardless of rank or position, even political opposition.
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