FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUNRISE AIRWAYS AND HAITI MINISTRY OF TOURISM
ANNOUNCE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
New agreement outlines mutual support partnership to boost tourism arrivals to Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – (March 5, 2014) – Sunrise Airways, Haiti’s newest homegrown airline, and the Haiti Ministry of Tourism announced today that they have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to boost tourism arrivals to Haiti.
Under terms of the MOU, Sunrise Airways and the Ministry of Tourism will work in close collaboration to host familiarization trips to Haiti undertaken by international travel journalists, travel agents, business development partners, and other interested parties keen on promoting or investing in the country’s tourism industry.
Philippe Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways, commented on the MOU, saying: “Tourism is already an important part of our improving economy, but the potential exists now more than ever for Haiti to stand up and be counted among the leading leisure travel destinations in the Caribbean. Haiti is most certainly open for tourism business. We at Sunrise Airways are excited to take an active role in proving just that to the world.”
Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, Haiti’s Minister of Tourism, echoed Mr. Bayard’s sentiments, saying: “Just as we’ve built tremendous momentum in growing Haiti’s tourism sector in recent months, so too has Sunrise Airways made great strides in elevating our aviation sector, opening up new markets in neighboring countries and earning raves with their professional service and staunch commitment to safety. We couldn’t be happier than to partner with them to continue moving Haiti forward.”
New hotel construction and redevelopment programs have combined with airport expansion initiatives, new hospitality education and training programs, the advent of a dedicated tourism police force, and the opening of several new visitor attraction centers at key historical sites to revitalize Haiti’s tourism industry. All told, current tourism sector investment by the Government of Haiti and foreign investors exceeds US$258 million.
Sunrise Airways launched scheduled passenger service on December 20, 2012 with one domestic route operating between Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien. From there, the airline expanded overseas, launching its first international route to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos in August 2013. Additional international routes to Holguín, Cuba and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic soon followed in October and November, respectively.
In addition to inaugurating new routes across the Western Caribbean in 2013, Sunrise Airways also achieved several significant corporate milestones underscoring the airline’s commitment to safety and customer satisfaction. Most notably, in July 2013 Sunrise Airways became the first-ever Haitian airline to join the Flight Safety Foundation, an international non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide impartial, independent, expert safety guidance and resources for the aviation and aerospace industry.
Sunrise Airways is also the only Haitian airline with its own dedicated Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility located at Cibao International Airport (STI) in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
About Sunrise Airways (www.SunriseAirways.net)
Sunrise Airways (IATA: S6, ICAO: KSZ) is a new Haitian owned commercial airline launched in December 2012 that aims to establish a hub in Port-au-Prince to better serve air travel needs within the Western Caribbean. The airline currently operates daily scheduled passenger service between Cap Haitien and Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, as well as regularly scheduled charter service from Port-au-Prince to Holguín, Cuba and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Sunrise also operates domestic routes within Haiti. New service to Havana and Santiago in Cuba, and Kingston, Jamaica are planned for 2014. Sunrise Airways owns and operates a fleet comprised of Jetstream 32 EP aircraft offering the comfort of leather seating and ample in-cabin cargo room for a maximum capacity of 19 passengers. Headquartered in Port-au-Prince with a dedicated maintenance facility in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Sunrise Airways is owned by noted Haitian businessman and philanthropist, Philippe Bayard. Members of the airline’s leadership team average more than 15 years of aviation experience with such well-known industry brands as Aerocaribbean, Air Jamaica, BAE Systems, Condor Airlines, Jamaica Air Shuttle, and LAN Airlines.
For more information on Sunrise Airways, please visit www.SunriseAirways.net.
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