WILLEMSTAD, PHILIPSBURG - Z Air has been granted permission by the St. Maarten aviation authorities to operate flights between Curaçao and Princess Juliana Airport. The Curaçao-based airline had faced a long wait for the permit due to concerns about the oversight of the safety of its fleet. The aircraft of Z Air are registered not within the Kingdom, but in the United States. Z Air took the matter to court to secure approval, and the court ordered St. Maarten to make a decision by the end of this month. The permission granted is provisional, valid until December 31.
This issue prompted Curaçao to deny St. Maarten's airline Winair the opportunity to increase its flights between the two countries on a permanent basis following the bankruptcy of Jetair.
Simultaneously, Medicair, Z Air's sister company specializing in air ambulance services, has received a permit to transport patients from St. Eustatius and Saba to Curaçao and Aruba from St. Maarten. Last week, there was sudden uncertainty about the continuity of these flights.