Aruba recently signed an air transport agreement with the French Republic. This agreement was concluded and signed in St. Martin, after several months of deliberations and negotiations. The agreement will facilitate air transport between France and Aruba and includes the French territories in the Caribbean.
Ing. E.F. Kelly, head of the delegation from Aruba, added: “This agreement is of utmost importance to Aruba. As is well known, Aruba’s economy has a high degree of dependence on tourism. The agreement will pave the way for future transatlantic flights between France and Aruba. In addition, this agreement will be an important instrument to improve connectivity in our region, as it will open the door for flights between Aruba and French territories in our region such as Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana. This will help mitigate existing connectivity challenges in the Caribbean region. We express our appreciation to the French delegation for their goodwill and tremendous cooperation in reaching this important agreement. In addition to the agreement, we have made arrangements to cooperate jointly in other fields of aviation, and thus strengthen each other. We are confident that this agreement will be instrumental in bringing the peoples of Aruba and France even closer together.
Mr. E. Vivet, head of the French delegation: “We met with a very professional team from Aruba. The exchanges were very fruitful. There is a shared vision among delegations that the Caribbean region is in need of more connectivity and connectivity. To stimulate economic activity, tourism and social interaction between our peoples, our territories rely on long transatlantic flights, but also on regional connectivity. So we focused on both of these aspects. The agreement we have reached will offer several options for airlines from both countries, both for direct flights and indirect flights in a balanced and reciprocal manner. We are convinced that this will bring new opportunities in the connection between Aruba and France. This agreement is truly a step forward, as well as a testament to the friendship between our two countries.
The Minister of Transport, Mr. Ursell Arends is extremely happy with this achievement. This is implementation of the vision of the Ministry of Transport to create the infrastructure of appropriate and relevant air transport agreements to facilitate the necessary airlift for our tourism and also to increase connectivity in our region.