KRALENDIJK- Anyone who has to travel from Bonaire to Curaçao or vice versa these days could be out of luck. Currently, the demand for tickets is so great that they are sometimes unavailable for weeks.
Those who want to fly from Curaçao to Bonaire can fly for the first time on August 18, almost 3 weeks later. Tickets are still available on EZ Air on August 11, still almost 2 weeks after today.
Although both companies usually have enough seats available, this is clearly not the case during the holiday season. Deploying extra flights sounds simple, but it is not always so. The airlines are also running up against the limits of available aircraft and available pilots.
Annoying is the lack of any alternative. Also by sea, no passenger transport is offered between the two islands.
Absent
Unfortunately, the national government in particular has been absent for a long time in the discussion about air transport between the islands. Although it is argued by many that transport between the islands is a responsibility of the national government, the latter has kept a scrupulous silence and left the transport entirely to private market parties.
A report by the SEO research agency, followed by a report by the Hartman Commission, made recommendations for entering into a Public Service Obligation (PSO) between the islands, with which prices are controlled and the government can impose requirements on the amount of capacity that is deployed.
The respective transport ministers are happy to postpone the report and the decision-making process about the PCAs, which means that travelers between the two islands are in trouble, both in terms of prices and the capacity deployed.
Source: Bonaire.nu