Winair Director on criticism, passenger decline and service disruptions on St. Barth route

GREAT BAY--Winair Director Hans van de Velde has expressed regret to passengers who experienced delays, cancellations, or baggage issues in recent months, while explaining that a combination of pricing changes, connecting flight delays, increased traffic at Princess Juliana International Airport, sunset restrictions, and unexpected aircraft maintenance contributed to disruptions on the St. Barth route.

The comments were made during an interview conducted by Thomas Fetro of the publication Journal de Saint Barth, which questioned Van de Velde about growing criticism of Winair’s service, canceled flights, delayed baggage, and a noticeable decline in passenger numbers since the start of the year.

According to the report, Winair has remained the airline most used by travelers to St. Barth, carrying significantly more monthly passengers than competitors such as Tradewind, St. Barth Commuter, and St. Barth Executive. However, the airline also recorded fewer passengers compared to 2025, with traffic down 8.40 percent in January, 11.21 percent in February, and 12.63 percent in April. March was the only month to show an increase, with 2.86 percent more travelers than the same month in 2025.

Van de Velde began by acknowledging the concerns of passengers.

“Allow me to start by saying that Winair and I are sincerely sorry for the passengers who experienced delays or whose flights had to be canceled by Winair, most often because of sunset,” he said.

He noted that Winair is proud to transport approximately 100,000 passengers per year to St. Barth and to have contributed significantly to the tourism development of the region for more than 50 years.

Addressing the decline in passenger numbers, Van de Velde said several factors played a role. He explained that Winair modified its pricing structure and distribution model at the end of 2025 and later had to make adjustments. He also stressed that Winair functions primarily as a connecting airline, with 99 percent of its passengers connecting from the United States or France through St. Maarten.

Those connections, he said, were heavily affected by delays this winter. St. Barth has sunset restrictions mainly because Gustaf III Airport is a daylight, visual-approach airport. Flights operate under visual flight rules, and the airport is generally open from 7:00 a.m. local time until sunset plus about 15 minutes.

“If a European airline arrives at 4:00 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m., with sunset at 6:00 p.m. and 100 passengers connecting to St. Barth, it becomes impossible to transport all passengers,” Van de Velde explained.

He also pointed to intense activity at Princess Juliana International Airport following the arrival of new airlines, particularly during the afternoon period. He said that on several days, average delays for all airlines, not only Winair, reached between 30 and 60 minutes, especially on weekends.

Van de Velde said Winair also encountered several operational challenges, particularly during the final weeks of April. He emphasized that St. Barth is one of the most demanding airports in the world and that aircraft must be in perfect working condition to operate safely into the destination.

“Unfortunately, we had to deal with several unexpected maintenance operations,” he said. “Fortunately, the situation returned to normal this week.”

Responding to complaints from tourism professionals about flight disruptions and missing luggage, Van de Velde said Winair carries approximately half of all passengers traveling to St. Barth, making it expected that the airline would receive a significant share of public attention and criticism.

He explained that many Winair passengers travel in business class and often carry between 30 and 40 kilograms of luggage per person. Although Winair’s Twin Otter aircraft can seat 19 passengers, he said the airline carries a maximum of 16 passengers per flight in order to better manage luggage volume and weight.

“And even that is sometimes not enough,” he said.

Van de Velde added that all luggage must pass through security screening at Princess Juliana International Airport, as it would at any airport. This process takes time and can result in situations where passengers make it to the gate for their flight while their bags are still in screening or on the carousel.

On whether Winair has become a victim of increased traffic, Van de Velde said he would not describe the airline as a victim, but acknowledged that the situation must be better managed.

He explained that Winair operated the same winter flight schedule to St. Barth as it did during the 2024/2025 winter season, using five aircraft. However, delays by connecting airlines, increased traffic at Princess Juliana International Airport, and increased activity at St. Barth had a considerable impact.

As an example, he said that during the summer, the flight between St. Maarten and St. Barth normally takes about 15 minutes from door to door. This past winter, that same movement sometimes reached 30 minutes due to long waits on the tarmac and heavy traffic.

“Next season, we will therefore have no choice but to review our organization,” he said.

Looking ahead, Van de Velde said Winair will adjust its operations for the coming winter season. Because Princess Juliana International Airport is very busy during the winter and the connection between St. Maarten and St. Barth becomes heavily saturated, Winair will reduce late-afternoon flights, especially on weekends.

He said Winair cannot ignore the success and increased activity of Princess Juliana International Airport and must adapt accordingly. Although flights may appear possible on paper, he said the level of airport traffic significantly increases the risk of cancellations caused by sunset restrictions.

To compensate, Winair will add an additional aircraft this winter, increasing its Twin Otter fleet from five to six. This will allow the airline to schedule more flights in the early and mid-afternoon, rather than close to sunset.

“We regret having to take this measure,” Van de Velde said. “But we prefer to limit the number of flights and get passengers to their destinations rather than multiply flights and encounter problems related to sunset.”

The airline said the adjustments are intended to improve reliability, reduce sunset-related cancellations, and better align Winair’s schedule with the operational realities of both Princess Juliana International Airport and the St. Barth route.

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