JetAir faced loss of more than US$1 million, halt Fokker 70 operations

JetAir faced a massive loss exceeding US$ 1 million, which resulted in compelling the board of directors to cease their operation and ground its sole Fokker 70. The Court of First Instance of Curacao declared the local carriers operating under “JetAir” namely, United Caribbean Airlines BV and JetAir Caribbean BV as bankrupt.

The court appointed C.M. Van Liere and R.J. Vriezen as trustees who decided to cease all current flight operations. This follows the abrupt grounding of the aircraft Fokker 70 midway through the day’s flight on 17 June 2024.

JetAir offered its services solely in Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire with Jet aircraft. The airline offers scheduled and charter flights connecting Curacao with Aruba, Bonaire, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Haiti, and Colombia.

It was founded as United Caribbean Airlines in 2006 and was later changed into JetAir Caribbean in 2019 and received its first operating permit. However, soon after its operation the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world and JetAir aircraft also had to face severe financial impact.

Following Covid-19 pandemic, JetAir restarted its services which focused on routes such as Curacao to Colombia, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Sint Maarten. However, the operation of services from local carriers such as Winair and Z Air, with the emergence of low-cost Arajet and the growth of Sky High, limited JetAir’s operational capacity.

Moreover, because of the ceasing of operations of JetAir’s aircraft, the consumers faced huge loss, therefore, the consumer association advises all  who have suffered loss to follow certain steps with a hope to get their payment back. The passengers have been asked to submit a claim to the trustees, which shall contain an ID Card or passport, purchased ticket, proof of payment, and any other receipts to substantiate the damage or loss because of this unforeseen situation.

The bankruptcy of JetAir can become a huge cause of concern for the tourism sector of the Caribbean region.