Air Antilles awaits court ruling after filing for receivership

Air Antilles has formally filed for receivership with the Pointe-à-Pitre Commercial Court, leaving its future dependent on a judicial decision that will determine whether the airline can be restructured or must be liquidated.

The filing was submitted on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, by Louis Mussington, Chairman of the Board of Air Antilles and President of the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Martin, following the airline’s cessation of payments and suspension of operations. Mussington stated that the company has exhausted its cash reserves and is no longer able to meet its financial obligations.

The airline’s difficulties have been compounded by a regulatory grounding imposed on 8 December 2025 by the French civil aviation safety authority, which cited “very significant deficiencies” following an audit conducted earlier that month. The regulator concluded that Air Antilles could no longer guarantee passenger and staff safety, a claim the airline disputes. A corrective action plan has since been submitted, but the company says it has received no feedback on whether its operating licence may be reinstated.

Since acquiring the airline at the end of 2023, the Collectivity of Saint-Martin has invested approximately €20 million in Air Antilles. The carrier operates exclusively within the French Antilles, serving Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, Guadeloupe and Martinique. In 2025, it transported more than 121,000 passengers and generated around €18 million in revenue.

The court’s decision will determine whether Air Antilles enters receivership with a view to restructuring or is placed into liquidation.