THE HAGUE – Dutch government ministries spent more than 11 million euros on flights to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom in 2025, according to figures compiled by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
In total, delegations from various ministries booked 6,520 intercontinental airline tickets last year, including 712 business class tickets.
On top of the travel expenses, an additional 2.3 million euros was reportedly lost due to what was described as “verslapen” costs — expenses related to missed flights, overnight stays or schedule-related disruptions.
The figures show that the Ministry of Defense accounted for by far the largest share of travel activity, purchasing 4,899 tickets. Much of that travel involved rotating military personnel from the Compagnie in de West, whose units are replaced approximately every four months.
Excluding Defense-related travel, the remaining eleven ministries together spent approximately 4.4 million euros on flights to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.
That amount was lower than in previous years. Comparable spending totaled around 6 million euros in 2023 and 4.8 million euros in 2022.
The numbers also indicate a sharp decline in government travel volume on the Caribbean route operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
According to the report, KLM’s government-related ticket sales for the Antilles route dropped from 15,487 tickets in 2023 to 6,520 tickets in 2025 — a decline of more than half in just two years.
Among civilian ministries, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations recorded the highest number of trips with 366 flights, followed closely by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 324 trips.
The figures also appear to reflect political priorities in The Hague. According to the data, the Ministry of Finance traveled to the Caribbean more than twice as often as the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The travel statistics once again highlight the continued administrative, diplomatic and military ties between the European Netherlands and the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, including Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the BES islands.