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On Monday, February 2, the 118 employees of Air Antilles will learn the fate of their company. The joint commercial court is due to hand down its decision today, following a closed-door hearing on Thursday, January 22, in Pointe-à-Pitre. The hearing was held following the filing of a request for receivership by the chairman of the board of directors of Air Antilles, Louis Mussington, who is also president of the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Martin, the company's majority shareholder.
According to our colleagues at La 1ère, who were present on the day of the hearing, the exchanges were "quick" and the public prosecutor requested that the company be placed in receivership. "It was no surprise to the staff," said Séverine Louisor, coordinator of the Pointe-à-Pitre stopover, speaking to La 1ère. "The filing for bankruptcy has been hanging over our heads for several months now, mainly because our license was temporary. What keeps a company alive is its passengers and the money they bring in. Without that, we can't survive..."
There are two possible solutions for the commercial court: liquidation or receivership. The second option would open the door to a possible relaunch of the business, provided that one or more investors can finally be found to fund the company. For his part, President Mussington is displaying his usual optimism and says he believes in "a favorable outcome." For the record, the Collectivité of Saint-Martin has invested more than €19 million in the airline since its partial takeover at the end of 2023.
At the same time, nearly 5,500 customers with tickets to travel on Air Antilles are waiting to find out if they will be compensated or, for the most optimistic, rebooked on a future flight.
