WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, CMC—The Court of First Instance of Curacao has declared the bankruptcy of local carriers United Caribbean Airlines BV and JetAir Caribbean BV.
JetAir was the sole airline based in Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire with jet aircraft. It offered scheduled and charter flights connecting Curaçao with Aruba, Bonaire, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Maarten, Suriname, and Colombia.
The airline received its operating permit in November 2019, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this report severely impacted its initial operations.
However, JetAir aggressively resumed its services after the pandemic, targeting routes from Curaçao to Colombia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and St. Maarten. However, the expansion of local airlines Winair and Z Air, the emergence of low-cost Arajet, and the expansion of Sky High constrained JetAir’s limited operations.
Additionally, the high operating costs of its Fokker 70 aircraft forced JetAir to ground one for spare parts.
JetAir has reported losses of over US$1 million. Based on this, the board of directors compelled JetAir to cease operations and ground its sole Fokker 70 (PJ-JAB).
The airline now needs to inform passengers, employees, and other stakeholders, secure assets, and explore possibilities for a short-term resumption of flights.
JetAir’s bankruptcy aligns with the financial struggles of other Caribbean airlines, such as Air Antilles and LIAT, which have since re-emerged with new investors.
JetAir Caribbean was founded 2006 as United Caribbean Airlines and rebranded as JetAir in 2019.
and then 