Thanks to its carnival culture, beautiful beaches, and temperate climate, the Caribbean has become a favourite holiday destination for travellers around the world. Demand for air travel between the Caribbean’s 7,000 islands is fuelled further by their 44 million inhabitants, who want to stay connected with friends and family across the region.
At Aviation Festival Americas 2025, we sat down for an exclusive interview with Hans van de Velde, Chief Executive Officer at Winair, to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities in commercial Caribbean aviation. With over 65 years of history, Winair is the oldest regional airline in the Caribbean, and serves 16 destinations with only nine aircraft.
As a regional carrier with small aircraft, we can provide feed to the big legacy carriers.
Yet air travel in the Caribbean is frequently subject to disruption beyond an airline’s control. The Caribbean is the second-most disaster-prone region in the world, according to the European Commission, and the number of annual extreme weather events is only set to increase due to climate change. Van de Velde explains how Winair must be ready to adapt its services to any circumstances, including sudden floods, storms, and hurricanes.
We need to make sure we have more financial reserves than normal for an airline, because for periods from three to twelve months we can be nearly out of operation.
In the interview, van de Velde also discusses the challenges and opportunities for innovation in a region that still relies extensively on legacy systems.
We are looking for technological solutions which are applicable to smaller airlines to help us distinguish ourselves from the many competitors. But in the Caribbean, we’re in a completely different phase than in the US or Europe.
🎥 Watch the full interview below to learn more about why operating a commercial airline in the Caribbean is so unique.
Questions asked include:
- How does an airline stay agile while serving a region that can be prone to disruption through natural disasters?
- What opportunities are shaping Caribbean aviation and how is Winair adapting to leverage them?
- What scope is there for further regional growth?
- After 65 years of operations, how is Winair innvating to keep up with the digital demands of passengers?
Join us at Aviation Festival Americas 2026!
Subscribe to our free newsletter to receive the latest industry news twice a week.
For more like this, see:
