Several airlines are challenging an increase in the price of kerosene in the West Indies, denouncing a “practice in our opinion illegal”, said Thursday the National Federation of Aviation and its trades (Fnam).
The prices of kerosene increased at the beginning of June by some 15%, the Fnam denouncing at this time a “brutal decision”, “without any justification linked to the rise in the price of oil”taken by the French authorities and the Société anonyme de raffinerie des Antilles (Sara), the sole fuel supplier in the Antilles.
La Fnam “and the member companies concerned” introduced last summer “a gracious appeal to the prefect who remained without a favorable response”the federation told AFP on Thursday.
“The airlines concerned therefore filed a claim for compensation before the administrative court in early December 2022”specifies the Fnam, according to which “a judgment is expected for the first quarter of 2024”.
“The exchanges between the parties will continue until then”adds the professional organization.
Ask La Fna “that an end be put to this practice, which we believe to be illegal, of equalization between the price of kerosene and the price of gasoline in the West Indies”. For her, a rebate on the price of petrol should be financed by the State budget and not by “penalization of air passengers”.
La Sara replied in June that “if the price of kerosene did not increase, this would mechanically cause an additional increase in prices at the pump, affecting all consumers, including those who do not fly”.