Air Antilles has been ordered by court to pay 58,166 euros to settle part of its debts at Martinique airport.

• Martinique-Aimé Césaire airport company (SAMAC) had referred a dispute with Air Antilles to the administrative court with a claim of 159,391 euros.
• In the dispute, there are two types of unpaid invoices: those corresponding to services for the use of the public airport property managed by SAMAC and those corresponding to services provided by SAMAC (car parking, parking subscription, etc.).
• The Administrative Court of Martinique had only retained disputes concerning services related to the use of the public domain; for the others, it is not competent, they fall under the jurisdiction of the judicial court. 

Air Antilles has just been sentenced in Martinique of the French West Indies after legal difficulties with Guadeloupe airport. The Martinique-Aimé Césaire airport company (SAMAC) had referred the matter to the administrative court to claim 159,391 euros in unpaid invoices.

Finally, the court only upheld the claims related to the occupation of the public airport domain, setting the amount due at 58,166 euros.

Some invoices concerned the use of professional spaces at Aimé Césaire airport. In September 2024, Air Antilles had signed temporary occupancy permits for offices and a sales space totalling 62 m2, with the corresponding charges.

Twenty-eight invoices, issued between September 2024 and November 2025, have not been paid. Their amount amounts to 48,540 euros.

• Air Antilles has been ordered to settle part of its debts to the company that manages Aimé Césaire airport.
• On the other hand, the airport of Guadeloupe Maryse Condé, which had initiated the same legal action, was dismissed.
• On September 1, 2024, Air Antilles signed two agreements with SAMAC to authorize the temporary occupation of public property for a period of two years.
• This is mainly the occupation of offices and sales space for a total area of 62 square meters as well as the rental charges of these spaces (electricity, maintenance, etc.).
• The court confirmed that Air Antilles had not paid twenty-eight invoices issued between September 2024 and November 2025 for a total amount of 48,540 euros.

SAMAC also claimed sums for an occupation of premises before the official signing of the agreements, between December 2023 and December 2024. But the court reduced this amount.

It considered that Air Antilles was only liable from 25 May 2024, the date on which it obtained its operating licence. The courts have also limited the areas taken into account. In total, the debts for occupation without authorization were valued at 9,625 euros.

Air Antilles has been ordered to pay an amount of EUR 58 166, together with default interest provided for by law, as well as a lump sum of EUR 320 for recovery costs.

Earlier in July 2025, the carrier faced a claim of more than 600,000 euros from the Guadeloupe Pôle Caraïbes airport company regarding the use of infrastructure and water and electricity bills.

The airport's plea was rejected due to a procedural irregularity, which had exempted the company from payment. However as the judgment was only about the discrepancy in the paperwork, the Guadeloupe airport may appeal againnt the judgement.

The Suspension !

Air Antilles announced on 9 December that the Direction de la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (DSAC) had informed it of its decision to temporarily suspend its Certificat de Transport Aérien (CTA).

This administrative measure nevertheless follows an audit conducted from 2 to 4 December 2025. The inspectors noted shortcomings in certain documentary and organisational aspects, without identifying any immediate risks to aviation safety. 

The carrier is entering a decisive phase of its future. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) is currently continuing to examine the file relating to the lifting of the suspension of the air transport certificate. The action plan submitted by Air Antilles has already been rejected once, deemed insufficient by the competent authorities.

The airline serves the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, its main base.

The Air Antilles fleet comprises 4 propeller aircraft, including 2 ATR 72s with a capacity of 72 passengers; 1 ATR 42 with a capacity of 48 passengers; 1 De Havilland Canada DHC 6 Twin Otter with a capacity of 19 passengers.

As a majority shareholder, the Collectivité de Saint-Martin nevertheless confirms its continued support for the company's recovery plan.