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Dutch Antilles Express was an airline of the Dutch country of Curaçao. It operated high-frequency scheduled services in the Dutch Caribbean to United States, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Haiti, and Suriname. Its main base was at Hato International Airport, Curaçao. Due to an escalating debt from poor market conditions, the government of Curaçao stepped in on May 31, 2011, to keep the airline in the air.〔"(Article luchtvaart nieuws interview minister )."〕 The airline has been purchased from Arnold Leonora by the Curaçao government for a cash injection sum of two injections of 1.5m Guilders (approx US$838,000 each).〔"(Curacao government cash injection )."〕 In August 2013, the company's management and employees approached the Curacao government through various departments for a new loan of 5m Guilders (approx. US$2.8 million) to, among other items, pay employee salaries outstanding from July 2013. The appeal for the loan was denied by the Curacao Parliament on August 16, 2013.〔http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php/islands/1-islands-news/41819-motion-to-help-dae-rejected.html〕 The Court of First Instance of Curaçao declared the local airline Dutch Antilles Express (DAE) bankrupt on August 30, 2013.〔"(Article curacaochronicle bankruptcy DAE )."〕 At the time of its bankruptcy, the airline operated two aircraft Fokker 100, one ATR-42, one ATR-72 〔(DAE introduces Karpata. )〕 and three McDonnell Douglas MD-83 wet-leased from Falcon Air Express.〔(Falcon Air Express Fleet. )〕 There were plans to eventually replace the Fokker 100s with newer A319-100s and A320-200s.〔(Plans for order A319 and A320 aircraft. )〕 == History == The airline started operations with a single ATR 42 in 2003 as BonairExel (part of the Exel Aviation Group) and soon expanded to encompass most of the Dutch Antilles and Aruba. Although an Embraer ERJ 145 was used on the Bonaire-Aruba flights, the aircraft was soon disposed of again, returning to Air Exel. Although BonairExel flew its aircraft in the Exel color scheme; operated with Air Exel aircraft; and flew with Air Exel cabin staff; the airline was wholly owned by a Dutch millionaire residing on Bonaire, and operated simply as a franchise carrier. As the local market was rather small, a subsidiary was formed on Curaçao, named Curaçao Exel. Dutch Caribbean Airlines (DCA) declared bankruptcy not long after.〔"(DCA ceases all operations )"〕 Exel Aviation noticed that the Caribbean airlines were very profitable, and set up its own Aruba Exel, causing distress amongst the other franchise carriers. With the Exel empire expanding too rapidly in Europe and the Caribbean, it was no surprise that the dream would not last long. In a lawsuit against Nick Sandman (owner of Bonaire and Curaçao Exel) to demand back the invested amount, and confiscate back the ATR 42 aircraft, ties dissolved between the Exel Aviation Group and the Caribbean franchise carriers. With minimal funds, the airline made an attempt to distance itself from its partner, changing its names to BonairExpress and CuraçaoExpress. This move permantently broke up the alliance, causing no more profits to go to the ailing Exel Aviation Group. All Exel airlines disappeared, including fellow Aruba Exel. Previously the airline's head office was in the Plasa Medardo SV Thielman in Kralendijk, Bonaire.〔"(Privacy statement )." Dutch Antilles Express. Retrieved on October 30, 2010.〕 In April 2007 the airline moved its head office from Bonaire to Curaçao, where the airline's flight operations have been based. The airline's call centre and its revenue accounting and handling departments remained in Bonaire.〔"(DAE wants to be the Antillean Airline )"〕 After numerous lawsuits, BonairExel (now called Bonaire Express) and Curaçao Express merged to form Dutch Antilles Express, which started operations on April 30, 2005 with flights between the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. On 9 December 2005, its first international services to Valencia, Venezuela, were launched. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dutch Antilles Express」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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