New routes being added

St Maarten-based Caribbean airliner, Winair is expanding, adding new planes and flying to more destinations.

The carrier has just announced the acquisition of two ATR 42-500 series aircraft, as part of its expansion plans. The new aircraft will provide service to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Dominica and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Most notable is the return of service to Bonaire, a Dutch Caribbean island that was previously served by Winair. The first plane will be delivered next March while the second ATR plane will be delivered a month later in April 2023.

With the second aircraft, Winair will be providing service to Antigua, Tortola, St Lucia and Barbados. Turning to the issue of expanding to more routes, Winair points to the fact that further analysis and review of route expansion to other destinations is ongoing.

The company’s growth comes after six years of a lease partnership with Guadeloupe-based Air Antilles.

Michael Cleaver, president and CEO of Winair, said its “partnership with Air Antilles will continue to evolve, strengthening Winair’s and Air Antilles’ route structure in the Caribbean, also providing commonality of fleet type”.

Cleaver noted that the addition of the new planes “ushers in a new era for Winair, operating its own ATR aircraft thus enhancing our current business model”.