Insel Air Keeps Reaching Higher

Insel Air is currently Curaçao’s only local airline and it provides transportation to at least 50 percent of Curaçao’s residents who need to travel to and from the island. The airline started seven years ago and today it services 17 destinations in the Caribbean, South America and the United States.

TEXT ELISA KOEK

When asked about the airline’s slogan, “reaching higher,” Albert Kluyver, CEO of Insel Air explained, “We always try to accomplish more and reach higher. Look at what we have managed in the last seven years. We’re the only private airline in the Caribbean that is IATA-certified. This is the highest certification an airline can get. On top of that, we always use the newest technologies and we are doing everything to provide the best service. We want to reach as high as possible in every possible way.”

Edward Heerenveen, co-founder of Insel Air, always wanted his own airline. In 1993 he incorporated the airline, but didn’t have the financial resources to make his dream a reality. “In December 2004, Heerenveen walked into our office”, Kluyver explains. “I was an investment banker with our firm, Corporate Financial Solutions, at the time and Heerenveen was formerly part of the management team at the Antilliaanse Luchtvaartmaatschappij (ALM). I looked at the figures of ALM and Heerenveen’s idea. After studying the figures, they, as well as Heerenveen’s idea, seemed promising; I could see a lot of opportunities.” Kluyver prepared a business plan for the future airline and decided to come on board. Based on the business plan, four more businessmen, plus two banks joined, and the deal was financially closed. “It was a big plan, but we carried it out step by step, plane by plane.” In August 2006, less than two years later, the first Insel Air flight hit the skies.

Now seven years later, the airline services 17 destinations, with plans to expand to 28 destinations in the near future. The airline also has interline agreements with almost every airline providing service to and from Curaçao. “These interlines have great benefits for our passengers”, Kluyver says. “For example: all travelers who use Curaçao as a hub station can check in for all flights at once due to the interline agreements.” Passengers get one booking code for all flights so the system knows the total flight plan. Kluyver adds, “If you wish, your luggage can be labeled to the final destination so you don’t need to stand in line again.”

Insel Air hopes to sign these interline agreements with more airlines in the future to provide better service and more destinations. One of these destinations is Brazil. There have been negotiations in the past that didn’t pan out. However, according to Kluyver they are currently working on a new agreement to open up that part of the world to the airline’s clients. Besides Brazil, Insel Air wants to add flights from Curaçao to Colombia, Ecuador and Guyana. “We have plans to add eleven different destinations in the next year and a half”, Kluyver proudly tells. “This will result in 200,000 new arrivals at Hato from Insel Air alone.”

Although Insel Air is still developing, the airline has had setbacks as well. The downgrade from Hato Airport in 2012 was a big disappointment for the whole aviation sector on Curaçao. After the abolition of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, Curaçao had to be rated as a separate country. The American aviation authority, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), investigated Hato Airport and announced in January 2012 that Hato was not safe enough to be rated as a category 1 airport; Hato Airport was downgraded to category 2 status. This meant no new routes from Curaçao to the United States were possible. For Insel Air, this downgrade resulted in reducing their flights to Charlotte from two flights a week to one. “We can’t control everything,” Kluyver remarked. “We’re still hoping Hato will be upgraded to category 1 again. When this happens, we will increase the number of flights to the U.S. It is now in the hands of the government of Curaçao.”

Insel Air Aruba received its Air Operator certificate in 2012. This gave Insel Air Aruba permission to operate flights out of Aruba to other destinations. People on Curaçao expressed concern about the new hub because they feared Insel Air would trade Curaçao for Aruba. However, this was never the intention. “Most big companies have branches on Bonaire, Saint Maarten or Aruba. It’s only natural that Insel Air does the same”, Kluyver clarifies. “Aside from this, the product Aruba is totally different than the product Curaçao. Tourists going to Aruba come to party and lay on white beaches while Curaçao is known for its beautiful diving spots and fishing trips. Aruba and Curaçao are two different products with different targets: the destinations don’t have to bite each other in the least.”

Insel Air contributes to Curaçao’s economy with their share in the tourist sector, but Kluyver emphasizes that this is not their greatest value. “Of course we bring lots of tourists to the island, but most of our passengers are regional. Research shows that most people in the region come to Curaçao for business; they are willing to invest in this country. Tourists may stay longer, but sometimes they don’t even leave their hotel.”

Twenty eight percent of Insel Air’s passengers are from Venezuela, a country that is not continually stable, but according to Kluyver, Venezuelans are very interested in Curaçao. “We have had difficulties with Venezuela, however, we just recently reached an agreement with the government that solved the transportation issues we had between our two countries. Venezuela is important for Curaçao. The Venezuelans used to invest in Isla Margarita, but Curaçao is a safer and better product. They’re moving everything to Curaçao. The Venezuelans are probably the biggest investors on the island at this moment.”

A big accomplishment for the company is that it completed its first C-check this year on Curaçao. A C-check is an aircraft maintenance check that every airline is required to do after a certain number of flights. The C-check is a time-consuming and costly process, during which, the aircraft is grounded and must remain on the maintenance site. Insel Air is lucky to have the ability to perform the C-check at its home base on Curaçao. “We are currently checking two aircrafts and before August, we want to finish the C-check on three more planes”, Kluyver states. “For the C-check alone, we employ 60 people and this is probably going to increase to up to 100 people. Fortunately, all the expertise is here on the island and we can provide jobs for locals during this process.” Insel Air tries to fill employment positions with people from Curaçao. At the moment they have 500 local people on the payroll.

Insel Air is determined to keep using Curaçao as a hub station, which means a lot of people transfer through Curaçao on their way to another destination. According to Kluyver this is the perfect way to introduce the island to the world. “Some people have never even heard of Curaçao, so the transfers help people become aware of the island. They might not stay this time, but chances are it gives them an idea for their next holiday to the Caribbean.”