KLM: “We will not operate an airline in the Caribbean”

WILLEMSTAD – Caribbean airline industry suffers from the problems of the Curaçao airline InselAir. The government is asking the Netherlands for help, but KLM is not thinking about operating flights in the Caribbean region. “That does not fit our strategy,” says KLM CEO Pieter Elbers in an interview with Luchtvaartnieuws.nl.

Parent company Air France is indeed operating with its own aircraft between French overseas territories such as Guadeloupe and Martinique, but Boeing 737 of Elbers does not see KLM operating Boeing 737’s between the ABC-islands.

KLM until recently had close cooperation with InselAir, but suspended these on the ongoing problems in the troubled Curaçao carrier.

The Minister of Economic Development Eugene Rhuggenaath was recently sent to the Netherlands to discuss the problems, as air transport is vital for the islanders.

“Helping is good, but solving the problems is not our responsibility. We are focused now on making KLM fit and health. That demands all our attention and energy,” said Elbers.

Source: Curacao Chronicle http://curacaochronicle.com/local/klm-we-will-not-operate-an-airline-in-the-caribbean/