Cheaper flights for St. Eustatius and Saba still lack funding, De Jong argues

THE BOTTOM/ORANJESTAD — Parliamentary support for a Public Service Obligation (PSO) on flights to Saba and St. Eustatius does not mean cheaper tickets are near, says aviation expert Hans de Jong. There is still no secured funding and no confirmed implementation date.

De Jong, a former director of the Curaçao Civil Aviation Authority and former Winair supervisory board member, questioned in an email exchange with BES-reporter whether a PSO is actually moving closer to implementation. His criticism centres on the gap between years of research and political discussion on the one hand, and the absence of a funded decision on the other.

A PSO would allow the government to impose requirements on essential air services, including maximum fares, minimum frequency and capacity, with financial compensation where necessary. According to SEO Economic Research, cited in an October 16 letter from State Secretary Eric van der Burg to the House, an aviation PSO would cost between €1.5 million and €7.5 million a year, depending on its design.

As BES-reporter reported in December 2025, the government’s own explanation of the proposed legislation acknowledged that market forces alone do not adequately safeguard affordable and reliable connections for small island communities.

A legal basis, but no funding decision

The Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) approved legislation to create a legal basis for a PSO on July 2, with 140 members voting in favour. That was a substantial parliamentary step. It was not, however, a decision to finance and introduce subsidised flights.

In their October 5 letter to the House, Infrastructure and Water Management Minister Vincent Karremans and Van der Burg, the State Secretary for Kingdom Relations, describe connectivity as a basic provision. They also recognise that air and ferry services should complement each other.

The Daily Herald, in its October 7 editorial, described this as a softening of the government’s previous reluctance to fund air travel. It also noted that airlines cannot be expected to operate the connections at a loss. The letter can therefore be read as a change in policy direction, but it also makes clear how much remains unresolved.

The government’s announced next step is an exploration with the island governments covering service arrangements, ticket prices and financing. Neither air nor sea connections currently have structural funding, the letter states.

Another exploration, and a 2028 horizon

De Jong regards the announcement of another exploration as evidence of continued postponement. “Once again, the population of both islands is being sent away empty-handed,” he wrote. He points to the long history of studies and discussions, including work associated with the committee chaired by former KLM chief executive Peter Hartman. According to De Jong, the initial SEO report that formed the basis for that committee’s work has been available for more than six years. After years of examining the problem, he questions what another round will achieve without a commitment to provide the money.

Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties had already highlighted the financing problem on September 18, reporting that lower airfares were not expected before 2028. The government’s stated position is that financing will be considered when allocating coalition-agreement funds for 2028 and beyond. Note, however, that 2028 is a year from which funding may become available, not an announced starting date for a PSO.

The October 16 letter was a response to a motion by MP Mikal Tseggai concerning improvements to public services in the Caribbean Netherlands. As Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties reported on October 19, structural financing for the air connections remains unavailable. Ferry support is funded through 2027, but continuation from 2028 is also not structurally secured.

More promises and no certainty

De Jong is blunt about the government’s October 5 letter. “Rarely in my life have I seen government officials send such shoddy work to parliament,” he wrote. He acknowledges that governments must make difficult choices when resources are limited: “Everyone in the entire Kingdom will understand that difficult choices have to be made when scarce resources are distributed.” His objection is that residents continue to receive promises of further work rather than certainty about affordable transport.

It would nevertheless be incorrect to say that nothing has happened. Legislative work has advanced, the government recognises the importance of both forms of transport, and temporary ferry funding exists. Those steps leave the central questions unanswered: which arrangement will be introduced, who will pay for it, and when will residents notice the difference?

His suggestion that a PSO may be further out of reach than ever is his own assessment of that prolonged process. The government’s documents support a narrower but consequential conclusion: a solution is still being explored, rather than funded and scheduled for implementation.

For residents of St. Eustatius and Saba, the measure of progress will ultimately be the fare they pay, not the number of studies, letters or parliamentary debates devoted to reducing it.