After one of the bidders withdrew their proposal, Air Guyane will enter the liquidation phase and cease its operations after 21 years.
In their decision, the judges took note of the withdrawal of the offer made by Cafom. This group justified its stance on the opposition from the territorial community of Guyana to grant them the public service delegation. The Commercial Court thus authorized the judicial liquidation of the company and the dismissal of its 78 employees. In the aftermath, the 30,000 inhabitants of Guyana face total isolation and a lack of communication with the rest of the Caribbean.
Upon learning of the news, Air Guyane’s employees gathered at the airport. There, Jean-Pierre Dellevi, union delegate of UTG at Air Guyane, made statements to the press. “It’s a mix of anger and despair, because 78 employees are left without a job today… it hurts,” he expressed.
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Guyana had decided to express its stance on the matter last week. “I want to emphasize that the solution must ensure economic stability and the preservation of local employment, to which we are entitled as representatives of public service,” explained Gabriel Serville, president of the Assembly. “It is imperative to clarify that Guyana cannot simply be an adjustable component within a broader proposal.”
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Overseas Territories, the president emphasized that the Guyanese airline must remain autonomous in relation to its Antillean counterpart. Serville was thus inflexible in his position that only a complete acquisition of Air Guyane would garner the support of the community.
For Air Antilles, the other company in contention, fate was different: the court ordered the partial transfer of assets to the community of Saint-Martin and the company Cipim.
