Reactie Aruba Airlines

Aruba Airlines heeft in verschillende emails gereageerd. Hieronder de letterlijke reacties per thema.

OVER DE KLACHT VAN GONGORA EN LLORENTE

The accusations made against our airline are found to be offensive and dishonest, coupled with the
fact that they are not based on any kind of evidence rather than baseless words. We have been
unjustly accused of placing our Airline at the service of the Cuban State to carry out forced and illegal
expatriations under coercive conditions. Likewise, they have exposed us without any type of
evidence before the public opinion, which includes our image towards our passengers and clients,
our suppliers and before the aeronautical and governmental authorities of the island of Aruba. It is
truly regrettable that this situation has occurred damaging our reputation as an airline and that of
Aruba as a popular tourist destination

We have demonstrated this accusations are false in all the letters sent to the authorities and to the
UN. I invite you again to check the letter attached.

In both cases, these passengers voluntarily presented themselves to the counter without being
accompanied by any government officer, agent, or authority, did their check-in process in a regular
way as the other passengers, and received their boarding passes. They were then checked through
the local dispatch system of terminal 2 of the Jose Marti International Airport.

Also, Airport Agents for Aviation Security must request a valid passport in order to issue a boarding
pass.

It is important to point out that neither Aruba Airlines ground staff, pilots, and flight attendants, did
not receive any notification from any Cuban Government authorities regarding expatriated citizens,
nor any information that would indicate that the airline were in the presence of a passenger whose
human rights were possibly being violated. There were no irregularities, occurrences, or behaviors
that could have led Aruba Airlines personnel to suspect that these passengers had been subjected to
any illegal procedure, nor any information provided by the passenger to the personnel or to Mr.
Valles, indicating the purpose of these trips.

We have no knowledge of any forced expatriation through our flights and we deny any kind of
involvement or complicity with any person, agent, state or authority that violates civil aviation laws
and human rights.

OVER DE EIGENDOMSCONSTRUCTIE VAN ARUBA AIRLINES

Seastar Holding NV, a company incorporated in Aruba (legal body established under local law) holds
100% percent of the shares of Aruba Airlines. Therefore, the company structure is in compliance with
all legal regulations.

Mr. Valles main place of residence is in Miami, Florida. However, he travels a lot between Aruba and
the US, that's why it was difficult for you to reach him.
OVER DE FOUTEN IN DE PASSAGIERSGEGEVENS

I must note, this tickets are not sold by Aruba Airlines directly. Tickets are sold through a Tour
Operator in Cuba called Services Mia. Therefore, all the information we have stated in the letters is
the information we have had access to.

As stated before, tickets are sold through a Tour Operator in Cuba. Therefore, Aruba Airlines does
not registers the information of the passengers in the system. The Tour Operator is the one
responsible for uploading the data into the System. This data travels directly to the ECASA System
and Aruba Airlines can not modify it at any stage. If there is a mistake in the information which is in
the System, it could have been a mistake of the agent that uploaded it or a System Error, but this is
not in the hands of Aruba Airlines.

Certainly, Aruba Airlines personnel in the counter should have verified the information of the
passport with the information of the System. However, it is not unusual that mistakes like this take
place in other flights in any part of the world. Sometimes, personnel can miss this kind of details, due
to not being sufficiently concentrated or just tired. This could have occurred with any other
passenger in any other flight, it is just a coincidence it happened with Mr. Gongora Izaguirre.

As stated before, tickets are sold through a Tour Operator in Cuba. Therefore, Aruba Airlines does
not registers the information of the passengers in the system. The Tour Operator is the one
responsible for uploading the data into the System. This data travels directly to the ECASA System
and Aruba Airlines can not modify it at any stage. If there is a mistake in the information which is in
the System, it could have been a mistake of the agent that uploaded it or a System Error, but this is
not in the hands of Aruba Airlines.

Certainly, Aruba Airlines personnel in the counter should have verified the information of the
passport with the information of the System. However, it is not unusual that mistakes like this take
place in other flights in any part of the world. Sometimes, personnel can miss this kind of details, due
to not being sufficiently concentrated or just tired. This could have occurred with any other
passenger in any other flight, it is just a coincidence it happened with Mr. Gongora Izaguirre.

OVER CONTACT MET DE CUBAANSE OVERHEID

We asked ECASA for the videotapes of the airport in the dates these passengers departed so we
could prove they were not being accompanied by any government officer, agent, or authority, did
their check-in process in a regular way as the other passengers, and received their boarding passes
with no irregularities or suspicious behaviors. However, we never got a formal answer from them.