PRESS RELEASE

AirStMaarten Prepares Clients for New St. Barths Flight Scheduling System as COHOR Takes Effect for 2026/2027 High Season

AirSXM plans advance purchase of up to 160 charter flight credits to help travelers secure preferred SXM–SBH connections while maintaining flexibility when travel plans change

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN — October 2026: Travel to St. Barths is entering a new era for the upcoming 2026/2027 high season, and AirStMaarten, through AirSXM.com, is preparing its clients for what it expects will make advance planning increasingly important.

Beginning with the IATA Winter 2026/2027 season, which officially runs from October 25, 2026 through March 27, 2027, flight schedules at St. Barthélemy’s Gustaf III Airport (SBH/TFFJ) will be facilitated through COHOR, the organization responsible for airport coordination and schedule facilitation at designated French airports. SBH is officially designated an IATA Level 2 airport. Cohor

For travelers accustomed to arranging their St. Barths connections relatively close to their travel dates, AirStMaarten says the change makes one message particularly important:

Book early and secure your preferred flight times.

What is COHOR and what is changing at SBH?

COHOR is the French airport coordination and schedule facilitation organization. At a Level 2 airport such as SBH, it facilitates requested operating times against the capacity available at the airport.

This is particularly relevant to St. Barths because of the airport’s physical limitations, daylight operations and limited aircraft parking.

For the Winter 2026/2027 season, COHOR states that scheduling recommendations for commercial and business aviation rotations will be made according to parking stand availability. During the principal daytime operating period, capacity is limited to 10 aircraft parking stands and two helicopter stands. COHOR must also be notified of changes to initially approved flight times. Cohor

For passengers, the practical consequence is straightforward: the most desirable arrival and departure periods may become increasingly difficult to secure as demand builds, particularly during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Presidents’ Day and other peak winter travel periods.

AirSXM’s response: secure capacity in advance

Rather than waiting for clients to encounter availability problems during the high season, AirSXM is taking a proactive approach.

Based on historical demand for private charter flights between Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) and St. Barths (SBH), AirSXM plans to pre-purchase up to 160 charter flight credits for the 2026/2027 high season.

The company intends to concentrate that inventory around the dates and travel periods that its historical booking experience indicates are most frequently requested by St. Barths travelers.

“Our clients should not have to become experts in airport slot coordination to get to St. Barths,” AirStMaarten said. “Our job is to understand the changing environment, plan ahead and give our clients the best possible options.”

Secure your St. Barths travel from US$2,200

AirSXM clients will be able to secure prepaid SXM–SBH or SBH–SXM charter flight credits starting at US$2,200 per sector, subject to availability, applicable taxes and fees, and booking conditions.

The objective is to allow clients to begin securing their St. Barths transportation even when every component of their international itinerary has not yet been finalized.

A traveler may know, for example, that he or she intends to arrive in St. Maarten on December 27 and continue to St. Barths, while the international airline itinerary or exact arrival time is still being finalized.

AirSXM’s message to those travelers is:

Talk to us anyway.

Providing an anticipated travel date, direction of travel, approximate preferred time and number of passengers gives AirSXM an opportunity to begin working on the client’s transportation requirements before the most desirable periods become difficult to obtain.

What happens when a client’s plans change?

AirStMaarten believes this is where its inventory strategy can provide an important additional benefit.

St. Barths travelers frequently coordinate private charter flights with international airline arrivals, private jets, villas, hotels, yachts and other travel arrangements. Changes are therefore inevitable.

Under AirSXM’s planned model, when a client who has secured a flight subsequently changes travel plans, AirSXM may be able to reallocate that original flight opportunity to another client and work with the first client to obtain another suitable flight from its available inventory.

This creates a degree of flexibility that can become increasingly valuable in a capacity constrained environment.

Payments remain non-refundable. However, where AirSXM is able to reallocate the original flight, the unused value may remain on the client’s account as a credit toward another eligible AirSXM charter flight, subject to availability, applicable fare differences and AirSXM’s booking terms and conditions.

Creating flexibility through a pool of charter capacity

The concept is relatively simple.

Book Early → Secure Capacity → Plans Change → AirSXM Finds Plan B

By purchasing a substantial pool of charter flight credits rather than treating every booking as an isolated transaction, AirSXM expects to have greater ability to move clients within its available inventory when circumstances change.

It is an approach based on more than two decades of AirStMaarten experience arranging travel into St. Barths and understanding the particular challenges associated with connecting international travelers through St. Maarten.

“We know that many clients hesitate to book early because they are not yet 100 percent certain of their plans,” AirStMaarten explained. “But under the new scheduling environment, waiting for certainty can mean losing the travel time you wanted. Our strategy is to give clients a way to plan earlier while retaining as much flexibility as reasonably possible if their circumstances later change.”

Planning ahead becomes part of the journey

AirStMaarten expects the COHOR schedule facilitation framework to make early planning an increasingly important part of St. Barths travel, particularly during periods of heavy demand.

The company is therefore encouraging clients, villa managers, travel advisors, private jet brokers and concierge companies to begin submitting their anticipated 2026/2027 SXM–SBH and SBH–SXM requirements as early as possible.

The earlier AirSXM knows a client’s intended travel date and preferred time, the better positioned it will be to work on securing suitable capacity.

For AirStMaarten, the objective remains the same even as the operating environment changes:

Peace of mind is the product.

And when Plan A changes, AirSXM builds Plan B.

For St. Barths charter inquiries and advance 2026/2027 reservations, visit www.AirSXM.com.

AirStMaarten | AirSXM.com
Private & Shared Charters • St. Barths Connections • Helicopters • Boats • Airline Tickets • VIP Services

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