Startup airline AVA appeals refusal of economic permit
POSTED: 01/5/16 7:01 PMWILLEMSTAD – AVA airways intends to appeal the government’s decision to deny the company an economic permit, curacaocrhonicle.com reports based on a press release issued by AVA. Attorney Chester Peterson has written a letter to Minister Suzanne Camelia-Römer (Traffic and Transportation) demanding copies of all documents relevant to the contested decision.
AVA said that the legal representatives of the company’s American investors are also studying the government’s decision, especially the passage in the decree that states: “The forensic investigation of the company capital partners showed that Capital Partners is probably is fictitious company.”
AVA maintains that Capital Partners is not a fictitious company and that they did not present fake documents, as the minister stated in her decision.
The airline maintains that it has complied with all requirements for an economic permit. “It is the first time that the government has requested an irrevocable bank letter,” the company said. “This was not done before in the case of, for example, Insel Air.”
AVA wants to take legal action and expressed the hope in its press release that the minister will not interfere in this process by not making the requested documents available. However, AVA notes that it believes the minister will boycott the process.
Comments (1)
I have been following this “drama” for some time, and it appears that the person behind AVA Airways thinks the way to get what he wants is by shouting, bullying, threatening and general strong-arm tactics. I know he is a small-island politician from Sint Maarten, and perhaps his negative reputation there is well-earned.
Because he cannot get his way, in the last few months he has declared that Ministers are corrupt, that the Director General of the Aviation Authority is corrupt, and I have to suppose that now nobody in authority in Curacao will touch him for fear of being hit by the same wildly-swinging demolition ball he seems to be playing with.
The business case for AVA Airways is flawed, anyway… he wants to start AVA Airways as a direct competitor for Insel Air – who now have 100% of the market, and who had a substantial slice of the market even when CAE was in business. If DAE could not survive, what makes this person think his airline will do any better? And starting a business with the sole purpose of closing another is a rather childish reason to make a business.
The person behind AVA has been trying to start this airline for a VERY long time now, without any success at all, and his plan has gone from one closed door and disaster to another. Perhaps it is time for him to stop wasting everyone’s time and money – including his own – and terminate this childish game, because he is now making himself look like the Donald Trump of the Netherlands Antilles (without the hair, of course).