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After declaring the airline insolvent, the chairman of the board of directors, Louis Mussington, filed for bankruptcy protection. The request is to be examined on Thursday, January 22, by the joint commercial court.
Will Air Antilles take flight again? That is a question that the Pointe-à-Pitre Joint Commercial Court will answer on Thursday. The airline's case is to be examined at a hearing. This follows the filing of a declaration of insolvency and then a request for receivership by the chairman of the board of directors of Air Antilles, Louis Mussington.
Letter to employees
On Friday, January 16, President Louis Mussington (who also holds the position of head of the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Martin) sent a letter to the company's employees. In it, he informed them of his decision to file for bankruptcy with the Pointe-à-Pitre Commercial Court. "Despite all the steps taken and the considerable efforts made by the teams, the company's financial situation no longer allows it to meet its commitments," he wrote.
After praising the "professionalism and solidarity" of the employees, Louis Mussington added: "The early interruption of our operations came following the suspension of the Air Operator Certificate on December 8, 2025, and then the Air Transport License on December 9, 2025, in the middle of the high season. These decisions led to an immediate halt in activity, abruptly depriving the company of its revenue and making it impossible to continue discussions with investors who were essential to the company's continuity."
The elected official went on to write: "I fully understand the concern and questions that this announcement will raise. I want to assure you that this decision in no way calls into question the value of your work, your commitment, or your dedication to Air Antilles. You have supported this company with seriousness and dignity until the very end. Together with the shareholders and management teams, I remain fully committed to accompanying this process with humanity and responsibility, with a constant focus on preserving the interests of employees as best as possible and examining all possible options for the future."
Two legal solutions
The future will therefore be decided this Thursday in the commercial court. Two solutions seem possible at this stage. If the court considers that it is possible to save the financially troubled company, a receivership procedure could be ordered. Otherwise, Air Antilles will head for judicial liquidation. "The coffers are empty. We do not have the financial means to meet our expenses," said Louis Mussington, confirming the comments made by Amine Tadhadit, the company's deputy CEO, a few days earlier. On Wednesday, Louis Mussington told our colleagues at RCI: "I hope that there will be a solution that is acceptable to the community, which has committed €19 million. From what I have been told, there are two possibilities: either outright liquidation, which I do not want at all because it would have consequences for our budget, or, and this is what I am more in favor of, a reorganization. This would still leave us with a few options for finding investors who would agree to invest a significant amount of money to continue the operation. In the same interview, the president of the Collectivité of Saint-Martin regretted the decision of the Civil Aviation Authority, which on December 8 suspended Air Antilles' air carrier certificate, considering that the company was "no longer able to ensure the safety of its passengers and staff." Louis Mussington explained: "When they grounded our planes, it didn't help at all. On the contrary, it complicated the situation greatly because we were not allowed to sell tickets or continue operations. We had to stop everything at the same time. So it had a dramatic impact on our cash flow."
For the record, the Collectivité of Saint Martin partially took over the company in December 2023, with the company Edeis, four months after Caire's liquidation. It did not obtain its air carrier certificate until seven months later. And since flights resumed, business has never really lived up to investors' expectations. Furthermore, since April 2025, flights have been operated under temporary operating licenses.
The 138 employees of Air Antilles should learn their fate, if not this Thursday, then at least in the coming days.
