Holland Exel took over all equipment and activities of the practically bankrupt Air Holland last week. It may signal a change in the strategy for BonairExel. According to published reports, Holland Exel plans to start flying from the Netherlands Antilles to Newark, New Jersey; Miami, Florida; Panama; Colombia; and Venezuela.  Owner Erik de Vlieger made the announcement. The airline is negotiating the lease of an Airbus 320 to conduct these flights. Flights between Holland and The Antilles may follow.
The Airbus will most likely be based in Bonaire, where sister airline BonairExel has a hub. BonairExel is currently flying only to Curaçao and Aruba, but has plans to include St. Maarten in its schedule.
BonairExel does not have details of the plans yet.  Before it started flying, the airline had the intention to fly to Venezuela and Miami, but its Embraer jet went back to Europe and hasn't returned to the island.  Bonaire business interests have reportedly been calling on BonairExel to conduct direct flights to Miami and other US cities.

Jan Vervoort

u A delegation from the Curaçao Island Council visited Dutch Caribbean Airlines (DCA) headquarters last week and called the visit "very useful." The council members were given a tour of the company and were also shown a business plan. Council member Nelson Pierre said the plan is not an actual business plan. "It gives an insight of the company's direction, but it's not substantiated by figures. They don't give a clear indication of how they intend to increase their revenues during the next few years. That was a bit of a disappointment. The Curaçao community must ask itself a few very important questions during this period. Can we afford to not have an airline and how far are we willing to go to keep DCA afloat. Whatever the decision, it will affect the entire community."
DCA lost over a million guilders as a result of the failure of its partner Sobelair last month. Sobelair flew DCA's transatlantic route which DCA management says is its only route that made a profit.

u The dead body of young man was discovered last week in the wheel well of a jumbo jet that had flown from Curaçao to Amsterdam. This is the first stowaway ever discovered on the route. The deceased was described as a young, dark skinned male between 20 and 30 years old with no ID. He apparently hid himself in the aircraft's wheel compartment during the nine-hour flight. The plane flies at an altitude of over 35,000 ft. (11,000 meters) where the temperature is about 10 degrees below zero-Celsius. In December 2002 headlines were made when a 22-year-old Cuban man who hid in the wheel well of a DC-10 survived a -50°C, four-hour flight from Havana to Montreal.
The Boeing 747 was flying from Amsterdam to Aruba, through Curaçao, back to Amsterdam. On departure the plane (KL783) was delayed 30 minutes on the runway in Curaçao by bad weather. 
According to KLM Antilles regional manager, Lars de Brabander, The Netherlands has initiated an investigation and local authorities have also been advised. KLM has also launched an internal investigation. De Brabander believes it's improbable that the young man simply walked past the security personnel in Curaçao who are in charge of guarding KLM aircraft while they are on the ground. Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP), in charge of securing the area surrounding the airport's fence, had no statement and will await the results of the investigation.   
u ADM Milling has decided not to close its Curaçao operation (see last week's issue) for the time being because the Central Government has taken a step to protect their market.  Premier Mirna Louisa-Godett and Economic Affairs Minister Errol Cova are going to try to convince their colleagues in the Council of Ministers that it's necessary to raise the import tax on wheat flour by 30% and that of corn flour by 10%. This was spelled out in a letter dated February 27 to the ADM Milling Company. 
In return ADM must also invest $2 million to upgrade safety and health in their Curaçao mill. The ministers believe that raising import taxes should not influence the prices of ADM's products. In short, ADM can't raise their prices. The ministers also indicated that they would approach the UN Organization for Industrial Development (UNIDO) for support with establishing an industry policy in the Antilles.
The letter (in English) was written following a series of meetings between ADM, the Asina industry association and Cova. During these meetings, as well as in a letter, ADM informed the government that if the protective measures were cancelled they would be forced to close down their company in Curaçao.
Last month Bonaire Senator Jopie Abraham said, among other reasons, he joined the government coalition to forestall market protection from affecting Bonaire. The 30% and 10% tariffs imply that flour is that much cheaper on the world markets, even after shipping, than Curaçao-produced flour.

u Justice Minister Ben Komproe, a member of the criminally-convicted FOL party, continues to act in an unprofessional and off-hand manner. Last week Vice-Prime Minister Errol Cova apologized to former-Antilles Governor Jaime

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u  They took the island by storm, playing together every day at a different venue each time- Croccantino, Caribbean Club, Kon Tiki, Plaza and Buddy Dive. The twosome of Jan Vervoort and Gil O'Gawa met only last year when they played together with the Latin Jazz group at Kon Tiki. They hit it off and seemed to know intuitively what the other was thinking, music wise. When they returned to their respective countries - Jan to Holland, Gil to Michigan - they stayed in contact via e-mail. "Do you know ……," asked Jan, and he listed reams of Dixieland music that he loved. Gil answered, "Yes, Yes, Yes" to all of them. So "The E-Mail Dixieland Duo," as they laughingly call themselves, was born.
On their first appearance at Croccantino, only hours after Jan landed, they saved the evening. When the originally scheduled Jazz Night Dinner in the garden was postponed (It is now on this Friday, March 12) because of rain, the Dixieland Duo played inside the restaurant to dozens of delighted diners.
The musicians played for free and donations from the audience go to charities on the island. On Saturday night at the Caribbean Club Bonaire (Hilltop), they played to another appreciative crowd and brought in NAƒ388,90 worth of donations for the Bonaire Animal Shelter (Caribbean Club donating two cases of  Amstel, Hererra, one case, and passing the hat to the audience) On Sunday at KonTiki donations of NAƒ400 went to the Aqua Speed Club to send the new windsurfing kids to the High Winds competition in Aruba.L.D.