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The prefectoral decree dated October 2 and signed by Xavier Lefort, Prefect of Guadeloupe, went almost unnoticed. It has to be said that, a priori, it only concerns a small number of operators in the aviation sector. In this case, private pilots. But they were quick to react, as a group of them wrote a scathing letter to the press and, by the same token, to the regional prefect. In this document, dated October 14, the Collectif pilotes Caraïbe "protests against the not only iniquitous, but liberticidal decree issued by the Prefect of Guadeloupe".
With this decree, Prefect Xavier Lefort has introduced stricter regulations for aircraft making private flights coming from "a third country", from Saint-Martin or Saint-Barthélemy and bound for Maryse Condé airport. Example: the obligation to send "to the customs authorities, the border police and the air transport gendarmerie brigade, at least 24 hours before the scheduled take-off time, and two hours before, a general declaration specifying the dates and times of the flight".claration specifying the dates and times of the flight, and information on the identity of the crew and passengers including surnames and first names, dates of birth, identity document numbers, as well as a description of the goods carried". Landing times are also restricted to between 9.30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
To combat crime
In justifying his decision, the prefect cites the "very high" level of crime in Guadeloupe, "structurally increasing, with the number of homicides and robberies with firearms well above the national average". He mentions "the increase in drug seizures in Guadeloupe, in particular the cocaine seizures reported by the customs service at the Caribbean hub airport, notably through the transport of drugs ingested by foreign smugglers on their way from Guadeloupe to mainland France".
The State representative establishes a direct link between these incidents and Guadeloupe's proximity to "numerous foreign islands offering rapid air travel". This means that Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin are also "foreign islands".
For the pilots' collective, this "association of the image of criminality and private aviation is unacceptable", and they describe it as "fallacious". Particularly with regard to the flight plan. It would be ignoring the fact that all aircraft are required to complete a flight plan transmitted 30 minutes before departure," comments the collective. This lack of knowledge of procedures on the part of government departments leaves us speechless. "
"It's almost insulting
The management of Saint-Barthélemy airport is equally baffled by the prefectoral decree of October 2. It is said to infringe the right to travel. But also a form of discrimination. "We're not here to be held responsible for all kinds of trafficking in connection with the problems of delinquency encountered in Guadeloupe, it's almost insulting", comments management, who adds: "There are far more effective ways of limiting this kind of problem in Guadeloupe without creating unnecessary and disproportionate inconvenience for air traffic users. "
Since the publication of the prefectoral decree, the Collectif Pilots Caraïbe has appealed to the administrative court to demand the cancellation of the document signed by Prefect Lefort. "We demand the immediate withdrawal of this order, which is unfounded, unjustified and insulting to private operators", insists the collective. For the time being, the order remains in force.
