Français
While the tourist season got off to a flying start with the arrival of many visitors on the island, air traffic has been severely disrupted due to unfavorable weather conditions. Admittedly, the sun is shining and the weather appears beautiful. Nevertheless, since yesterday (Thursday, November 5), a strong westerly wind has been disrupting flight operations at Saint Barthélemy Airport. This situation is expected to continue through Monday and is causing flight cancellations and schedule adjustments. For example, Winair and Tradewind are not expected to operate flights until Monday.
Airport Director Fabrice Danet offers some technical explanations. “Operational restrictions vary depending on the type of aircraft and the airlines’ policies,” he explains. “There are tailwind restrictions, since the winds are coming from the west, which may be more of a challenge for one airline than another. As a result, some airlines will be able to land in Saint Barth by approaching from the sea side into the westerly wind but will not be able to take off again. Commercially, this is a difficult decision. Customers won’t understand why passengers arrive one way but can’t leave the same way. Consequently, airlines often decide simply to cancel their flights and offer alternatives to customers so they can reschedule their trips until after the spell of bad weather has passed. The commercial decision rests with each airline.”
Disruptions will certainly intensify over the weekend with showers. Adjustments to the flight schedule will therefore be made, with the decision to operate or not based on expected improvements in weather conditions.
It should be noted that on the morning of Friday, November 6, the Guadeloupe Meteorological Center announced that heavy showers and gusty winds could occur throughout Saturday and, likely, part of Sunday, in both Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy.
