WILLEMSTAD, ORANJESTAD - Figures from airport authority Aruba Airport Authority (AAA) show that the number of passengers flying from Aruba to Curaçao between 2017 and 2019 has decreased by 60 percent. Added to this is the 48 percent contraction between 2012 and 2017 reported by the Amsterdam economic research agency SEO. The report advocates preserving the connection between the Caribbean islands.

In 2012, there were still 3667 flights and 234,706 passengers from the Reina Beatrix to Curaçao, while in 2017 there were just over 2000 flights with 130,597 passengers. This is a reduction of 40 percent in the number of passengers. Joos Meijs, CEO of the AAA, relates the decline after 2017 to the disappearance of airline InselAir. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of passengers traveling from Aruba to Curaçao decreased by 58 percent.

Between 2012 and 2017, the population on most islands has grown, while air transport has declined on all routes in the Caribbean. The SEO gives this as the reason for the decline on the Aruba-Curaçao route. Meijs indicates that expensive tickets are also a barrier for many people.