Sunrise Airways Poised To Expand Services To Cuba

Port-au-Prince , Jun 18 (Prensa Latina) Sunrise Airways plans today to expand its trade routes with Cuba as part of the One Caribbean initiative, which plans to make Haiti a regional center.

Since 2012, the airline has been promoting the concept of safe, reliable and comfortable air transportation at an attractive price, and in the last two years has experienced a growth in the number of passengers from 69,000 in 2016 to 140,000 in 2017, with a projection of 200,000 this year.

According to the president of Sunrise Airways, Philippe Bayard, the excellent historical relations between Haiti and Cuba go back 200 years and have been a determining factor when choosing destinations in Cuba.

'We started flying in April 2014 with a Jetstream 32 (19 seats) to Santiago from Port-au-Prince and we operate 11 flights a week with an Airbus A320 (150 seats) to three destinations, Santiago, Camagüey and Havana,' the executive said.

By 2019, the airline plans to open two more routes in Santa Clara and Holguín, in Cuba, Kignston in Jamaica, and later on Santo Domingo and Curacao will join.

'We began talks with the Cuban Aviation Authority a month ago to establish an agreement between Cubana de Aviación and Sunrise Airways. This is an important step for us in line with our ultimate long-term goal of connecting the Caribbean directly or through a partnership between regional airlines: One Caribbean.

Bayard's goal is ambitious, to make Haiti the center of a system of feeding routes within the Caribbean, which will support the country's continued growth by stimulating trade and tourism.

According to the executive, there is an excessive dependence on the service provided by U.S. operators, particularly American Airlines, which is used as a distribution point for other areas in the region.

However, Bayard notes, the choice of Port-au-Prince are a bit premature, even with the new connections with Cuba and Santo Domingo, because Haiti's airport infrastructure is totally inadequate and unsuitable for mass market transit.

He also highlighted the excessive level of ticket and price taxes and the high cost of aviation fuel, among the highest in the region, as major disadvantages to the development of the aviation market in the Caribbean.

In 2018 the airline will invest in technology and a substantial change in accounting systems, website and booking systems.

'We gauge how technology is important today in the workflow to gain productivity at all levels of the customer experience. This is why we will limit the opening of new destinations in 2018. Only two in progress: Curacao Santo Domingo and Santo Domingo Havana. To open them, we will soon receive a new plane,' Bayard concluded.