The parent company of Air Antilles, Compagnie Aérienne Interrégionale Express (CAIRE) has been placed into liquidation by the Mixed Commercial Court of Pointe-à-Pitre, amid strikes at subsidiary Air Antilles, local media reports.
A court-appointed representative will handle the company until a buyer can be found and a call to the buyer will be issued during the next hearing. Both, Air Antilles and Air Guyane will be given a two-month continuation period, reports the Daily Herald.
In July, it emerged the group was facing financial difficulties following chief executive officer Eric Koury's announcement that he was filing for a suspension of payments, with the indefinite industrial action costing Air Antilles up to €120,000 a day.
Speaking to AFP, Koury had predicted that the airline would be unlikely to survive a strike as it attempts to rebuild its post-pandemic capacity.
“No airline can withstand a long pilot strike at the height of the peak season, after having suffered the full force of the health crisis for over two years,” Koury said.
Air Antilles pilots' union, Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL-CAIRE Air Antilles), which suspended its industrial action on Thursday, expressed optimism for the airline's future under new leadership. “We are very attached to this company. Employees really have this expectation of being able to find real good working conditions. It is very important for us to have every chance to put this exploitation in order, to put this society back in motion,” the union said in a statement.
The union staged a walkout mid-July in a row over CAIRE's denial to accept a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in December to raise wages by 5.5%. Initially the strike was planned between July 14 and 19 but was later extended indefinitely as negotiations stalled.
An unlimited strike notice was filed on July 27 following Air Antilles' suspension of payments. Industrial action was suspended after almost three weeks following concerns about air connectivity in the Caribbean.
Around 300 people are currently employed by CAIRE across both Air Antilles and Air Guyane.