Jetair Caribbean ceases operations

On 18 June 2024, the Court of First Instance of Curaçao declared Jetair Caribbean bankrupt at their own request. As a result of this, the airline has ceased all operations.

The last flight was operated by its only active aircraft in the fleet, Fokker 70 PJ-JAB (11585), which conducted flight 4J523 from Sint Maarten to Willemstad.

Originally founded as United Caribbean Airlines in 2006, the airline launched operations in 2019 as Jetair Caribbean. It acquired two Fokker 70s and used these on flights from Curaçao to destinations in the region like Aruba, Bonaire, Colombia, Jamaica, and Sint Maarten.

A year later, however, the airline was impacted heavily due to the pandemic, which saw their revenues drop significantly. As a result, the airline wasn't able to pay for the maintenance for its aircraft, resulting in the grounding and stripping of one of them to keep the other flying. With losses continuing to mount, the airline saw no other option than to apply for bankruptcy.

The court has now appointed trustees, which will settle the bankruptcy but also investigate the possibilities of a potential restart.

Photo by Jetair Caribbean.