Kralendijk- Without the loan provided by the Dutch Government to the tune of 3 million US dollars, WINAIR would not have been able to meet their payroll obligations.

This can be concluded from answers of State Secretary Raymond Knops in a press conference on Bonaire Monday afternoon. On a question from Syvlia de Leon from Bonaire.nu about the loan to WINAIR, Knops answered: “WINAIR has been confronted with a situation where the borders of most islands were closed. This has severely impacted the cash-flow, liquidity and the own equity of WINAIR, to the point where they could not pay their salaries”, said Knops.

Dependent

Knops also said that that connectivity was very important and especially for the islands which are fully dependent on WINAIR for their connections by air.

Knops said that Dutch Government, also based on the fact that they are also a shareholder in WINAIR, had decided to provide a loan to WINAIR to meet their obligations and thereby ensure the continued connectivity between the islands. “It is a loan and will ultimately have to be repaid” the State Secretary added.

According to Knops, no other Dutch Caribbean airlines have approached the Dutch Government about potential financial support.

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