Above: a Sunrise Airways plane

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti’s Sunrise Airways is continuing its Caribbean expansion.

The carrier will soon be launching flights from its hub in Port-au-Prince to Santiago de Cuba in Cuba.

The flights will begin Oct. 30, marking the carrier’s first-ever regularly-scheduled passenger service to Cuba.

“These new flights are historic for Sunrise Airways, as well as for Haiti and Cuba,” said Philippe Bayard, president of Sunrise Airways. “Cuba figures prominently in our long-term expansion plans, so establishing scheduled passenger service there is a great step forward for us. At the same time, there are also strong cultural ties between Haiti and Santiago de Cuba stemming from the migration to the city that took place in the years following the Haitian Revolution. From a cultural standpoint, Haiti and Santiago de Cuba have been joined at the hip for more than 200 years. Now, with our new flights, the two are closer than ever before.”

The flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays, departing from Port-au-Prince at 11:25 AM and returning from Santiago at 1:15 PM.