Caribbean Airline Winair Has a New CEO

St Maarten-based regional airline Winair has named a new chief executive officer, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

Aviation industry veteran Hans van de Velde will be succeeding outgoing CEO Michael Cleaver, who retired from his role as CEO this week. 

He had served in the role for 12 years. 

“When Country St. Maarten inherited WINAIR, it was near insolvency and required thorough

improvements in accounting, operations, communications, and strategic direction”, Cleaver said in a statement. 

Cleaver had overseen continued growth and recovery for the airline, which will soon be launching an ATR operation. Winair will be operating a pair of new ATR aircraft, a significant expansion for the company. ““The transformation and resurrection of WINAIR was a true team effort.”

In a statement, Winair said it reaffirmed its “commitment to connecting

the islands of the Caribbean, further developing regional integration, and delivering exceptional

service to our valued customers. With our new CEO at the helm, we are confident in our ability

to navigate the ever-changing aviation landscape and position WINAIR as the preferred choice

for travel in the Caribbean.”