No ban on Insel flights for employees of Public Entity Bonaire

The Public Entity in a press conference this afternoon by Lieutenant Governor Edison Rijna said they feel there is insufficient reason for prohibiting employees of the Public Entity to fly on Insel Air between the ABC-islands.

Kralendijk- The Public Entity Bonaire, contrary to the Rijksdienst Carbisch Nederland (RCN), does not see any reasons to prohibit their employees from flying on Insel Air. “We feel that especially the flights between the ABC-islands are safe” according to lieutenant governor Rijna. Rijna said during the press conference that the so called ‘airlift committee’ put in place by the Public Entity this week, had meetings this morning in Curaçao with various ministers and also with the new management of Insel Air.

According to Rijna, there is no reason to doubt the safety of the 3 turbo-prop Fokker50 aircraft used for the routes between the islands. “We have been assured by the competent authorities in Curaçao that these aircraft are checked on a daily basis and that there is no need for worries. The planes Insel uses for flights between Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba are deemed safe”, said Rijna.

Rijna also said that the airlift committee had received assurances by Insel Air and ministers Camelia-Römer and Minister Ruggenaath that the flights between the 3 ABC-islands are an absolute priority for Insel Air and that the company will do everything in it’s power to serve the island as well as it can under the current circumstances.

Rijna repeated what is already common knowledge, which is that the grounded aircraft concern aircraft under the Aruban P4 registration and therefore, fall on under the Aruban Aviation Authorities. Insel has other MD82/83 aircraft registered under the PJ-code used by Curaçao and Sint Maarten. These aircraft however are all undergoing a scheduled C-check and therefore, can not fly at the moment. This, according to the lieutenant governor, affects mainly the international operation and not the flights between the ABC-islands.

Rijna also said one of the airlift committee’s goals is to study the airlift situation of the island in general and that there are various ongoing conversations as to how to achievening a better the airlift for the island. This includes looking at other alternatives aside from Insel Air. According to the governor talks have been held among others with Divi Divi Air, when it comes to the expansion of their current flight schedule, and Venezuela-based Sundance Air which already executes charters to the island.