The airline began operations as
Air Antilles Express on December 18, 2002, owned by
Air Guyane Express, which itself used to be a subsidiary of Guadeloupean group CAIRE. It was a brand name for
Air Guyane's Caribbean operations and both airlines share their
call sign,
IATA and
ICAO codes. The airline used as its
Airline Reservations System Zenith, developed by
Travel Technology Interactive, a French-based company. In 2016, the airline changed its name to
Air Antilles and introduced a new livery with the delivery of its first
ATR 72-600. In September 2023, the group CAIRE, of which both Air Antilles and Air Guyane were a part, was terminated. Air Antilles was set to be revived by a public-private partnership, while Air Guyane was to be liquidated. Air Antilles resumed operations on July 22, 2024, with reduced service and fleet size. Since being acquired at the end of 2023 by the Collectivity of Saint-Martin, approximately €20 million in mostly public funds had been injected into the airline, which in 2025 carried more than 121,000 passengers and generated about €18 million in revenue.
2025 grounding and AOC suspension In mid-2025, the airline lost its full air operator certificate (AOC) and was operating under a provisional license issued by France's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC), conditional on improvements to its financial situation. The DGAC subsequently extended the provisional license until 31 January 2026, ending a series of monthly renewals and giving the airline time to seek private investors; the Collectivity of Saint-Martin, by then committed to the tune of €16 million, sought additional capital of around €10 million while attempting to retain control of the company. Seven candidate files were considered, including one from the Frankfurt-based investment group Panaf. On 8 December 2025, the Antilles–Guyane branch of the French Civil Aviation Safety Directorate (DSAC) suspended Air Antilles's air operator certificate over what it described as shortcomings in the airline's operational and safety documentation, grounding all its aircraft. The airline halted all commercial and flight operations "until further notice", a decision it described as having been taken unilaterally by the DGAC, and noted that the suspension came in the middle of the high tourist season, depriving it of essential revenues.
Insolvency and court-led restructuring In an internal letter to employees dated 16 January 2026, Louis Mussington, chairman of Air Antilles's board of directors and president of the Collectivity of Saint-Martin, announced that the airline had filed a declaration of
cessation de paiements (insolvency) with the Mixed Commercial Court of Pointe-à-Pitre, citing the company's inability to meet its financial obligations following the suspension of its operating licence in early December 2025. The reorganisation was supervised by a court-appointed administrator, with the airline required to demonstrate sufficient cash flow to cover fuel, salaries and maintenance, and to persuade the DGAC to extend its AOC, which had officially expired on 1 January 2026. On Monday, 27 April 2026, the Mixed Commercial Court of Pointe-à-Pitre ordered the judicial liquidation of Air Antilles with immediate cessation of activity, after rejecting all takeover bids as insufficient given the airline's deteriorating financial situation. The decision left the airline's 116 employees without jobs. The final remaining proposal to keep the airline flying came from businessman Pierre Sainte-Luce, whose company sought to acquire Air Antilles's assets to relaunch operations under the brand "Air Kalinago"; the offer totalled €200,874 and provided for the immediate rehiring of only 13 employees, with promises of further recruitment. The court raised concerns that €6 million in promised capital remained dependent on regulatory approvals, that banking support had not been secured, and that obtaining a new air operator certificate from the French aviation authorities was uncertain. A larger competing bid from London-based Karaïbes Eco Rayonnance Consulting Ltd (KERC), which had pledged €3 million and the retention of 104 jobs, was withdrawn during proceedings after the company failed to demonstrate that a reported €90 million Turkish financing package was immediately available and transferable in euros. In its ruling, the court also cited fatigue and scepticism among employees regarding further rescue attempts as a factor weighing against restructuring. The court additionally ordered the liquidation of R Plane 9, the entity that owned an
ATR 42-600 linked to the Air Antilles fleet, after rejecting separate offers for the aircraft on legal and technical grounds. Commentators noted that the disappearance of Air Antilles raised concerns about reduced inter-island connectivity, higher fares from remaining carriers, job losses across the regional aviation and tourism sectors, and reduced competition in the French Antilles market. == Destinations ==