Antigua and Barbuda celebrates Sunrise Airwarys’ new intra-regional non-stop service

Antigua and Barbuda welcomed the inaugural flight of Sunrise Airways which began new intra-regional flights on May 25, 2024. This new service is now connecting Antigua, Dominica, St. Kitts, and Saint Lucia with a six-day service on the airline’s Embraer 120 twin-turboprop aircraft, accommodating up to 30 passengers.

This new route comprises of twice daily flights between Antigua and Dominica and Antigua and St Kitts along with a daily direct flight between Antigua and Saint Lucia.

This inaugural flight landed in Antigua on May 28 following which a welcoming ceremony was held to mark the maiden service from Saint Lucia to Antigua. The Minister of Tourism of the twin island nation Charles Fernandez appreciated the Sunrise Airways for their linking of the islands and contributing towards the enhanced regional connectivity.

He noted that this connectivity will support travel for tourism as well as the upcoming regional events such as carnival and cricket.

Meanwhile, the CEO of the airline, Philippe Bayard outlined that the decision to launch the new Eastern Caribbean flight operations from Antigua and Barbuda was rather easy due to various factors. One of them was the island’s geographic location at the juncture of the Eastern and Western Caribbean which serves as an optimal gateway to the islands.

He further noted that this geographic advantage is perfectly complemented by the modern, five-star V.C. Bird International Airport. Bayard further said that this impressive facility and its capable staff provide the strong support infrastructure, expertise and experience which are the envy of several other Caribbean airports.

Also, the CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C James, and the CFO of the Airport Authority, Philmore Andrew, welcomed the flight with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was attended by Sunrise Airways CEO Philippe Bayard, Executive Director Sebastien Bayard and Sunrise Airways executives.

The launch was also attended by the St. Lucia Tourism Authority Head of Marketing, Dexter Percil and PR Manager Geraine Georges; Chairman of the St. Lucia Tourism Authority, Thaddeus Antoine and President of the St. Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, Paul Collymore.