Air Antilles: company registration challenged by territorial opposition

At the Saint-Martin territorial council meeting held on Sunday November 30, elected members of the opposition made public administrative documents concerning Air Antilles. Specifically, the registration and financing of the airline "(New) Air Antilles". According to the councillors of the group led by former deputy Daniel Gibbs, the evidence gathered shows that a companytee totally different from the one validated by the Territorial Council was registered with the Clerk of the Commercial Court on October 30, 2023. On September 20, 2023, the Territorial Council approved the creation of a semi-public company called "New Air Antilles". New Air Antilles", in accordance with a precise set of articles of association, including a capital of 2 million one-euro shares and a rigorously defined governance structure. These bylaws served as the basis for the vote. They are the only legal expression of the will of the elected members of the territorial council", write the six opposition members in a press release. According to them, the statutes filed with the clerk's office on October 18, 2023 "have nothing to do with those adopted". They mention a change of name, a transformation of capital into 200,000 shares of 10 euros each, a "rewritten" governance structure, modified internal attributions and reduced statutory obligations. "None of these substantial changes has been presented to the elected representatives, none has been voted on, none has been authorized", say the opposition members.
These new revelations come at an already delicate time for the company's management and the Collectivité de Saint-Martin.
At the end of November, SEML Air Antilles' trade unions publicly expressed their concerns about the future of the company. Even though the operating license renewal only runs until January 31, 2026. "Despite our letters, our requests for meetings and our proposals, no concrete decision has been taken to curb the crisis affecting the company", say the unions. They openly denounce the "joint inaction" of the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Martin and Air Antilles management. The unions are calling for a business continuity plan, transparent financial commitments and a long-term strategy for the company's survival and development. In the face of what it describes as "inaction by the Board of Directors", the intersyndicale warns that it " reserves the right to use all legal and union means necessary to ensure flight safety". Staff representatives are openly asking: "What legal or union means should we use to finally be heard? We don't want it to come to that, but we won't let the company collapse. "