The national carrier, Surinam Airways (SLM), has reportedly added a foreign aviation expert to its executive team. The Chief Executive Officer of the SLM, Steven Gonesh, confirmed that Lars de Brabander was hired as the new deputy director of Commercial Affairs at the beginning of June. “This position had been vacant for the past couple of years.” In February 2024 the union expressed its concerned about the absence of a deputy director of Commercial Affairs.

The union had also made it clear that various important positions within the company were vacant and that more managers had to be hired to fill these positions. Clyde Cairo was the former deputy director of Commercial Affairs, but resigned in 2018 as he was offered the position of general director at the Diakonessen Hospital.
“Brabander is no stranger in the aviation world. He has filled various top positions at airliners in the region and also is no stranger at the KLM. He worked for the KLM in Asia and Central America.” Brabander was hired to keep the commercial policy of the national carrier on the right track. This is not the first time that a foreigner was hired to help the SLM to stay in the air.
In 2021 Paul de Haan who is a Dutchman was presented by President Chandrikapersad Santokhi as the new CEO at the SLM. But De Haan could not handle the job and left. He therefore did not keep his promise of making Suriname’s national carrier profitable again.…[+]