By the Caribbean Journal staff

Guadeloupe-based Air Antilles is upgrading its Caribbean fleet.

The company, which specializes in flights around the French Caribbean, has signed an agreement with Viking Air Limited to purchase two Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft.

The deal would make Air Antilles the first commercial operator of the new Series 400 in the wider Caribbean region.

The two planes are configured as 19-seat regional commuter planes; they will replace two of Air Antilles’ de Havilland Series 300 planes.

The planes are essential for Air Antilles flights to St Barth’s Carl Gustaf III Airport, which requires steep approach landings to its tiny runway.

“As an operator of legacy de Havilland Series 300 aircraft for more than a decade, our knowledge of the Twin Otter’s exceptional flight capabilities, ease of maintenance, high dispatch reliability and suitability for our operations made selection of the Viking Series 400 a natural choice for upgrading our fleet,” said Eric Kourry, chairman of Guyane Aero Invest, the holding company of Air Antilles.