Haitian airline Sunrise Airways announces more flights to Caribbean destinations at a time when commercial flights are not allowed to the Dominican Republic due to the rising violence in Haiti.
Haiti Libre reported on 29 October 2024 that the airline has a weekly direct flight from Port-au-Prince to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadaloupe, another to Antigua, and two flights per week to Sint Maarten. From these destinations, Haitians can connect to Europe and neighboring islands.
Haiti Libre explains that from Antigua, Sunrise Airways travelers can continue on to St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and Grenada.
“This expansion represents a further step forward in realizing Sunrise Airways’ vision of a unified Caribbean under the concept of ‘One Caribbean’ It first responds to the need for the movement of people and goods that must energize and stimulate economies in a region that shares so much of its history and culture. And of course, it also responds to the growing demand from tourists and local business travelers throughout the region,” says Philippe Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways.
The Dominican government closed its airspace in March 2024, as a consequence of the Masacre River canal construction. Nevertheless, with the escalating of the violence in Haiti, commercial flights have not been resumed for security reasons.
A United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) report reveals that over 1,223 people were killed and 522 are registered as having been injured in Haiti between July and September 2024 due to the escalating gang violence. The same report also highlights at least 170 individuals were kidnapped for ransom during the same period.
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Sunrise Airways
Haiti Libre
31 October 2024