Air Antilles Given Six Months To Restructure Or Face Liquidation Proceedings

French Antilles-based Air Antilles has been given a six-month window to restructure its operations or face liquidation.

Over the past few years, Air Antilles has gone through quite a bit of rough air. In September 2023, its then holding company entered liquidation stages, following mounting financial pressure and employee protests. In 2024, the Collectivity of Saint-Martin and EDEIS Group offered a lifeline, investing in the airline in a 60:40 split respectively.

Air Antilles was saved, and resumed flights in July 2024. This reorganization effort would prove to be insufficient as the carrier was still not able to turn a profit, and eventually lost its full air operator certificate (AOC) in mid-2025. France’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) issued a provisional license on the basis that they find a way to improve their financial situation.

Even with this provision, Air Antilles still failed to turn around their finances, resulting in their AOC being suspended entirely. The airline shut down operations on December 8, 2025, and eventually filed for bankruptcy protection on January 16, 2026.

The matter was first discussed by Saint-Martin government officials who felt the airline should be allowed to continue as it served the public’s interest. The matter was then taken to Guadeloupe court, and a decision was made on February 2 to give the carrier six more months to present a viable restructuring plan.

The court will be looking mainly at how the carrier plans to guarantee sufficient cash flow coverage for day-to-day operations such as paying for fuel, salaries and maintenance. Even if they manage to provide a convincing financial plan, they also need to sway France’s DGAC to extend their AOC which officially expired on January 1, 2026. Without this, they cannot legally operate commercial flights.

Air Antilles’ restructuring effort will be supervised by a court appointed administrator, and the airline will have to return in a few months to present its plan for a way forward. Prior to the airline suspending operations, their fleet consisted of two ATR 72-600s which they used to fly between Guadeloupe (PTP), Martinique (FDF) and Saint-Martin (SFG).

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