(BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – October 29, 2020) – Air Antilles is ramping up its investment in Barbados.
This according to the Guadeloupe-based regional carrier’s Chief Commercial Officer, Romain Hordel, who explains that the travel trade’s present climate has presented a unique opportunity for Air Antilles to better serve the English-speaking Caribbean.
“We have always been committed to our service to Barbados over the last four years, bringing 13,000 passengers annually from the French Caribbean, but given the present environment, we have decided to reinvest in the island by strengthening relationships with local tourism partners. Our first steps in this direction have resulted in the creation of travel packages from Barbados to St. Lucia and Dominica in partnership with Going Places Travel – within the Caribbean travel bubble – and we look forward to continuing this momentum by meeting and collaborating with more Barbadian tourism partners.”
Eric Kourry, founder of Companie Aérienne Interrégoinale Express (CAIRE) – parent company of Air Antilles – eagerly handed down his stamp of approval to double-down on positioning Barbados as a primary Air Antilles hub within the Caribbean.
“At Air Antilles, reliable, easy, cost-effective intraregional travel has always been our main objective, and ironically, the prevailing state of the travel industry has created an opportunity for us to seamlessly expand our business model and services to the English-speaking Caribbean.”
With its latest Barbados-St. Lucia and Barbados-Dominica routes, plus direct services out of Barbados to Antigua and St. Martin on the cards, Air Antilles boasts an intraregional network that extends across territories representing the four major languages in the Caribbean.
Kourry also highlightsthat Barbados is set to receive more value through Air Antilles’ reinvigorated efforts that extends far beyond affordable domestic Caribbean travel.
“It has already hit the French news that a group of investors and I are actively in the culminating stages of negotiations to purchase France’s second-largest airline Corsair. So, with this prospect in mind, Barbados stands to reap a two-fold benefit with an additional direct European connection out of a major French gateway.”
Air Antilles’ inaugural flight to Barbados was in 2017 out of Martinique and Guadeloupe, and in collaboration with the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., the regional carrier has brought several cultural, school and sporting groups and individuals to the island’s shores over the years. Today, the airline boasts a modern fleet of 15 aircraft with a collective average operational age of five years.
Air Antilles and its sister company Air Guyane are trademarks of the Compagnie Aérienne Interrégionale Express (CAIRE) founded in 2002. The company is owned by solid private shareholders and operates its
flights under the IATA code 3S. Air Antilles operates regular flights throughout the Caribbean with a network that connects the French, British, American, Hispanic, and Dutch islands, serving more than 28
destinations and over 500,000 passengers in 2019. With a track record spanning 20 years, Air Antilles is committed to strengthening its leadership in the French West Indies, while pursuing its expansion strategy in the Caribbean through the launch of new air services, with convenient connections and attractive commercial offers. Air Antilles is also a founding member of the Caribsky Alliance.
