Winair’s inaugural flight to Port of Spain on Sunday (see related story) marked its continued transition into a major regional player. The local carrier has greatly expanded its network that now includes Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Virgin Gorda, Montserrat, St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Barths, St. Kitts, Nevis, Tortola, Anguilla, Dominica, Antigua, Aruba, Bonaire Curacao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, San Juan and Santo Domingo.
CEO Hans van de Velde noted this doubling in size since 2023, enabling Winair to acquire yet another aircraft. This takes the fleet to 10 planes, with a decision made just two days before.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Trade, Investment & Tourism Satyakama Maharaj acknowledged the airline’s development. He mentioned 16% growth in scheduled capacity in the first half of 2025, a 22% increase in passengers transported and a 28% rise in total revenue.
The new twice-weekly ATR 42 non-stop return service to Trinidad and Tobago operates on Wednesdays and Sundays. It is expected to increase traffic between Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) and Piarco International Airport considerably.
Interestingly, Van de Velde said they are working with Caribbean Airlines, which historically also covers the route in combination with Jamaica. He spoke of finalising a partnership to offer six flights per week.
This approach of collaborating with competitors could spell benefits for both parties, as already proven with Winair’s previous wet-leasing of planes from Air Antilles. As also reported in today’s edition, the latter was granted a stay of execution by the Pointe-à-Pitre administrative court on Monday but nevertheless has been placed in receivership for six months to restructure its business and finances in a chance the airline might still recover. The airline declared itself insolvent on January 16, 2026.
Hopefully an uphill battle of solving several issues, acquiring funds and finding an investor can still be won, because when it comes to mobility of people on the islands. regional carriers are what keep us connected.
CORRECTION
The editorial of January 30 erroneously said a garbage truck that accidentally ran over and killed a man on Walter Nisbeth Road had abandoned the scene, as was the case with another vehicle in a hit-and-run accident that same day on Welfare Road. The waste collection company noted that its driver stayed and left only after police gave the all-clear. The author apologises for this unfortunate mix-up and any inconvenience it may have caused.
