The Mixed Commercial Court of Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe ordered the judicial liquidation of Air Antilles on April 27, 2026, with immediate cessation of all operations. The ruling ends efforts to save the regional airline, which had been grounded since December 2025 after France’s Direction de la Sécurité de l’Aviation Civile revoked its operating license due to a failed safety audit.
The court rejected three takeover offers from local hedge funds and holding companies, deeming them insufficient to address liabilities exceeding 56 million euros and ongoing operating losses. An administrator had concluded during the observation period that no viable recovery plan was possible through continued operations. The decision impacts 116 employees, who now face job losses.
Air Antilles, launched in 2002 to serve the French Antilles, operated a fleet of four ATR 42 and DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft for inter-island routes. Earlier financial woes included a suspension of payments filed by CEO Eric Koury in July 2025 amid strikes by the pilots’ union SNPL-CAIRE over unpaid wage increases. The parent group, Compagnie Aérienne Interrégionale Express (CAIRE), which also runs Air Guyane, entered compulsory liquidation amid the labor disputes, though Air Antilles faced separate proceedings.
In February 2026, the court had granted a six-month reprieve under judicial administration, but no credible continuation plan emerged. Travelers with canceled flights will receive no refunds, as the airline’s collapse closes all paths to resumption.