Air Antilles: decision postponed until 2 April
On Thursday, 5 March, the Pointe-à-Pitre Joint Commercial Court granted investor Pierre Sainte-Luce, the only potential buyer of the company, additional time to clarify and strengthen his takeover plan. The decision is now expected on 2 April.
The court found that the case had made significant progress compared to the first version, but still required adjustments.
According to several sources, Pierre Sainte-Luce is considering refocusing Air Antilles' activity on the route between Guadeloupe and Saint Martin, prioritising the opening up of the northern islands, but is also considering developing services to the wider Caribbean, particularly Haiti, through a partnership with a regional airline. In this scenario, some of the current routes could disappear. Furthermore, the 114 employees would not be guaranteed to keep their jobs.
Financially, the offer also needs to be consolidated, as the guarantee is far from the €10 million estimated by the Civil Aviation Authority to be necessary to restart the business. The court will hand down its decision on 2 April. Until then, the investor will have to convince the court of the soundness and viability of its project... and the planes will remain grounded.
