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Exclusive Aviation Posts by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert

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How Air Antilles was rebuilt on hope and failed assumptions

Air Antilles, re‑founded on 10 October 2023, launched operations in late June 2024, ceased flying on 8 December 2025, and is now expected to enter bankruptcy proceedings in early 2026. The airline survived 17 months of operations and 27 months as a corporate entity.The airline’s failure was structural, not accidental. It was built on misaligned assumptions, insufficient capitalization, political over‑optimism, and a business model incompatible with the realities of Eastern Caribbean aviation.No...

The Caribbean’s greatest export is talent. It’s time to stop giving it away

They leave the Caribbean for a reason. Not because of a lack of love for home, but to pursue growth. They want to learn more, see more, become more. They earn degrees, skills, networks, and experience that the world respects. They prove themselves in foreign systems that don’t realize their real worth. Because ultimately there is one place where everything they’ve learned matters more than anywhere else, back home. Here, their talent can be amplified and thrive, sparking change and introduc...

Legendary Old Man Bramble returned for Christmas

Residents of Coral Cay have reported the sighting of Old Man Bramble on Christmas Eve. Bramble’s appearance is rare and deeply meaningful. He arrived without fanfare and vanished again, leaving behind a sense of that even the smallest light can guide a community forward.  On this Christmas Eve morning, while mist lingered above the sea and the sun's gentle golden light peeked over the horizon, Old Man Bramble appeared. His beard was as white as sea foam, and he held a lantern that glow...

Old Man Bramble, a Caribbean Christmas Legend

Some legends are born; others return. An old fisherman became the heart of Christmas on a small Caribbean Island. Old Man Bramble left his Island as a boy. He returned as a Legend of Light for the World. His lantern became a symbol reminding us of faith, kindness, and togetherness. A Christmas story that asks you to walk gently and tells you that you will never walk alone. Not ever.In the year eighteen hundred and something, on the Eastern edge of the Antilles, there existed an island called Cor...

Christmas is almost here

Christmas is almost here, bringing good cheer to young and old, the modest and the bold. One seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air. They aim to send without end their joyful tone to every home.The Christmas holidays present unique chances for connection, generosity, and personal development, whether you're volunteering, traveling, or reflecting on your life. It’s a season where communities need extra support, businesses benefit from holiday demand, and individual...

Economy matters

The principal components driving economic performance include productivity, investment, labor, technological advancement, trade, and government policy. These factors collectively influence economic growth, stability, and standards of living. Economies exhibiting balance, demonstrate that equity contributes to innovation, improved overall well-being, and greater adaptive capacity.  Economic systems should strive to minimize excessive inequality, dependence on debt, and unsustainable pra...