Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, the Honorable Dr. Luc F.E. Mercelina, has congratulated Windward Islands Airways International (WINAIR) on its 65th anniversary, paying tribute to the airline’s founders, generations of employees and its enduring role in connecting Sint Maarten with the wider Caribbean.
During remarks commemorating the milestone, Prime Minister Mercelina described WINAIR’s 65-year journey as one rooted in Caribbean vision, determination and resilience, while emphasizing that the airline’s significance extends far beyond aviation.
“Sixty-five years ago, an aircraft took to the Caribbean skies carrying more than passengers. It carried an idea—an idea that our islands, though separated by water, should never be separated from one another,” Prime Minister Mercelina stated. “Tonight, sixty-five years later, that idea is still flying. Its name is WINAIR.”
The Prime Minister paid special tribute to WINAIR’s founders, Captain Georges Emilien Greaux, Captain Hypolite Faustin Ledee and Mr. Norman Chester Wathey, whose vision helped establish Windward Islands Airways International in 1961.
“These men were more than the founders of an airline. They were pioneers,” Prime Minister Mercelina said. “They looked at small islands surrounded by a vast Caribbean Sea and did not see isolation. They saw possibility. They understood that connecting our islands meant connecting our people to opportunity.”
From its home base at Princess Juliana International Airport, WINAIR developed into a vital regional link, particularly between Sint Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius.
The Prime Minister also highlighted an important chapter in WINAIR’s early history when, in 1963, co-founder Captain Georges Greaux became the first pilot to land on Saba’s newly asphalted runway at what is today Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport.
“That was more than an aviation achievement,” the Prime Minister said. “It demonstrated what WINAIR would come to represent: connecting communities where connectivity was not always easy, but where it was absolutely necessary.”
WINAIR’s institutional development continued in 1976 when it was acquired by the Netherlands Antilles to safeguard vital air connections between the islands. Following the constitutional changes of October 10, 2010, ownership transitioned principally to Country Sint Maarten, with the Netherlands retaining a minority share.
Prime Minister Mercelina emphasized that WINAIR’s importance cannot be measured solely through passenger numbers, destinations or aircraft.
For generations, the airline has transported students pursuing education, patients travelling for medical treatment, families attending weddings, funerals and reunions, workers and businesspeople, as well as visitors travelling through Sint Maarten to neighbouring destinations.
“Sometimes, perhaps most importantly, WINAIR has simply carried someone home,” Prime Minister Mercelina said.
“That is why WINAIR cannot be measured only by the number of aircraft in its fleet, the destinations on its route map, or the passengers it transports. Its true value is measured by the lives, islands and opportunities it connects.”
The Prime Minister noted that reliable regional air connectivity remains essential to Sint Maarten’s economic and social development, strengthening tourism and commerce, supporting access to healthcare and education, creating employment and reinforcing the country’s position as an important gateway to the wider Caribbean.
A Story of Caribbean Resilience
Reflecting on WINAIR’s journey through hurricanes, financial and economic challenges, changes within the aviation industry and the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Mercelina drew a direct parallel between the resilience of the airline and that of Sint Maarten.
“There were moments when the skies were uncertain. There were moments when difficult decisions had to be made. And there were moments when the future could not be taken for granted. Yet WINAIR continued to rise.”
“There is something familiar about that story, because it is also the story of Sint Maarten,” the Prime Minister continued. “We have been tested. We have been knocked down. We have faced circumstances beyond our control. But time and again, we have rebuilt, we have adapted, we have persevered, and each time, we have taken flight again.”
The Prime Minister said WINAIR’s 65th anniversary therefore represents more than corporate longevity.
“We celebrate Caribbean resilience.”
Prime Minister Mercelina extended the gratitude of the Government and people of Sint Maarten to the generations of employees who transformed the founders’ vision into the airline that serves the region today.
He acknowledged WINAIR’s pilots, cabin crews, engineers, mechanics, ground handlers, dispatchers, reservation and customer-service personnel, administrative staff, leadership and retirees.
“This 65th anniversary belongs to you,” Prime Minister Mercelina told the WINAIR family. “Aviation teaches us something important: every role matters. There can be no successful flight without preparation, coordination, professionalism, discipline and trust.”
“On behalf of the Government and people of Sint Maarten, I extend our sincere gratitude to every person who has contributed to WINAIR’s journey. Thank you for keeping WINAIR flying.”
While celebrating the airline’s history, Prime Minister Mercelina stressed that the anniversary must also serve as an opportunity to look toward WINAIR’s future.
“The greatest way to honour sixty-five years of history is to build an airline capable of serving the next sixty-five,” he stated.
The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of strengthening regional connectivity, improving the passenger experience, embracing innovation, maintaining uncompromising safety standards and ensuring that WINAIR remains competitive, reliable, resilient and financially sustainable.
He placed particular emphasis on investing in people and creating opportunities for young Sint Maarteners and Caribbean professionals to pursue careers within the aviation industry.
“As the industry changes, WINAIR must continue to evolve,” Prime Minister Mercelina said. “We must invest in our people, embrace innovation and ensure that the airline we inherited from previous generations is even stronger for the generations that will follow us.”
The Prime Minister underscored WINAIR’s special responsibility as Sint Maarten’s national airline, noting that its aircraft represent the country wherever they travel.
“Regardless of how modern the aircraft become or how far the network expands, there is something WINAIR will always carry that cannot be placed in an overhead compartment or measured as cargo. It carries our name.”
“Every time a WINAIR aircraft lands on another island, Sint Maarten arrives with it. Every time its colours cross the Caribbean sky, a piece of our country travels with it.”
Prime Minister Mercelina said this national role carries both pride and responsibility and called on WINAIR to continue representing the professionalism, resilience, warmth, hospitality and determination of the people of Sint Maarten.
“Never Allow the Size of Our Islands to Determine the Size of Our Ambition”
Concluding his message, Prime Minister Mercelina reflected on the lasting lesson of WINAIR’s founding pioneers.
“There are larger airlines in this world. There are airlines with larger fleets, larger airports and larger markets. But few can say that they have become so deeply woven into the lives of the communities they serve. WINAIR can.”
“Perhaps that is the greatest lesson contained within these sixty-five years: never allow the size of our islands to determine the size of our ambition. Captain Georges Emilien Greaux did not. Captain Hypolite Faustin Ledee did not. Norman Chester Wathey did not. And neither should we.”
The Prime Minister said WINAIR’s founders had effectively imagined “bridges in the sky” between Caribbean communities, bridges that generations of WINAIR employees have maintained ever since.
“Sixty-five years ago, three visionaries believed that our Caribbean islands could be brought closer together. Today, that vision still has wings.”
“On behalf of the Government and people of Sint Maarten, I congratulate the families of our founders, the Supervisory Board, management, employees, retirees, partners, passengers and the entire WINAIR family on 65 remarkable years of connecting the Caribbean.”
“Happy 65th Anniversary, WINAIR. For sixty-five years, you have helped bring our Caribbean closer together. May the next sixty-five years take you higher still.”
