Above: a Sunrise Airways plane

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally designated Sunrise Airways to operate new flights between Port-au-Prince and Kingston, Jamaica.

The Haiti-based Sunrise Airways has been on a rapid expansion push that has seen the addition of regularly scheduled charter service from Port-au-Prince to Cuba and the Dominican Republic, among other stops.

“While we still have a few technical and regulatory hurdles to clear, this designation puts us in a strong position to launch service to Kingston within the next three months,” said Philippe Bayard, president of Sunrise Airways.

It will also soon launch service between Cap-Haitien and Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. “For business travelers with interests in both cities, as well as leisure travelers keen on discovering the unique cultural, fine arts, dining, and nightlife attractions in two of the Caribbean’s great capitals, this new service will prove ideal.”

The company is planning to operate the service on 19-seat Jetstream 32 EP planes on the Port-au-Prince-Kingston route.

The company said it would announce an official launch date in the coming weeks.

“We’ve had our eyes on Kingston for quite some time now, but our expansion plans for 2014 don’t stop there,” Bayard said.