The Princess Juliana International Airport operating company, PJIAE N.V. has taken note of a press release issued by DAE regarding the failed talks between both parties Monday, August 5, 2013 and stands by the statements it made regarding same. The facts are the facts and they are incontestable.
It has also taken due note of the personal attacks and name calling directed at the Managing Director, Ms. Regina LaBega and prefers not to comment on same in the name of professional ethics. Suffice it to say that the DAE official, accompanied by the airline’s local representative met face to face for nearly two hours with the PJIAE negotiating team that consisted of Director of Operations, Mr. Larry Donker, who was deputizing for Ms. Regina LaBega, Finance Manager, Michael Lake and PJIAE’s financial team, Corporate Communications Specialist, Kalifa Hickinson as well as legal counsel. Ms. LaBega joined the deliberations by conference call.
PJIAE NV wants to make it abundantly clear that it has for the past three years bent over backwards to accommodate DAE and is confident that it and all its officials, starting with its Managing Director, have acted in good faith all along. The latest proof of that good faith was rendering services on humanitarian grounds to DAE so it could execute its flights via St. Maarten on Sunday and Monday. It behooves DAE and its representatives to indicate what good faith the airline has shown in its negotiations with PJIAE.
Regarding going public with what transpired at Monday’s negotiations, it must be stressed that PJIAE has not once disclosed details of the debt DAE owes it. However, since DAE has thought it fit to reveal how much it has so-called paid out of the amount owed, it should feel free to release the actual figures of its debts as well as the proposals and counter-proposals between both parties and indicate which one of these it has adhered to.
Of course, PJIAE would like nothing more than to see DAE solve its problems and be able to continue to use SXM airport’s facilities and services. However, the airline must be the only debtor in the world that can dictate to its creditors when, how much and how it intends to settle its bills. In pure St. Maarten English, that is called being wrong and strong.
Nevertheless, our doors remain open for honest negotiations, with a transparent show of good faith. However, engaging in a media war is not how PJIAE does business, and certainly not with a debtor who seems to have an issue with dealing with a female managing director.
Signed
Kalifa Hickinson,
Corporate Communications Specialist.