SUNRISE AIRWAYS, OECS SIGN MOU TO BOOST INTRA-REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE CARIBBEAN

Mr. Philippe Bayard (left), founder and chairman of Sunrise Airways and Dr. Didacus Jules (PhD), director general of the OECS Commission celebrate the MoU signed between the two organizations toward improving intra-regional connectivity throughout the Car

Pact seeks to alleviate obstacles to growth and sustainability in the Caribbean aviation sector

CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA, August 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sunrise Airways announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission to boost intra-regional connectivity throughout the Caribbean. The agreement was formally signed July 31, 2025 at OECS Commission headquarters in Castries, Saint Lucia. The signatories were Mr. Philippe Bayard, founder and chairman of Sunrise Airways, and Dr. Didacus Jules (PhD), director general of the OECS Commission.

Speaking at the public signing ceremony celebrating the pact, Mr. Bayard, remarked: “For too long, our greatest challenge has not been geography. It has been fragmentation and disconnection. It is still easier to fly from many Caribbean islands to North America or Europe than to reach a neighboring island just minutes away. That reality has limited trade, weakened tourism, divided families, and held back opportunity. This Memorandum of Understanding forms part of our joint response to that challenge.”

Under terms of the MoU, Sunrise Airways and the OECS Commission have pledged to work closely together to alleviate obstacles to growth and sustainability in the Caribbean aviation sector. Specifically, Sunrise Airways and the OECS Commission will seek to:

• Improve regional mobility and intra-OECS travel.
• Support economic growth through enhanced trade, tourism, and education.
• Foster aviation sustainability and resilience.
• Enable technical cooperation, policy development, and innovation in air transport.

As Mr. Bayard noted: “These are not only aviation goals. They are development goals. Every step we take toward seamless movement – for people, goods, and ideas – expands opportunity, strengthens regional identity, and builds a foundation for shared prosperity.”

Dr. Jules reiterated Mr. Bayard’s remarks, stating: “Ladies and gentlemen, let us be clear—this partnership is not just about aircraft and runways. It is about building bridges in a fragmented region. It is about ensuring that our citizens can seize the opportunities that regional integration affords. And it is about making Caribbean unity something that is experienced not only in treaties and communiqués, but in everyday life.”

News of the MoU between Sunrise Airways and the OECS Commission follows closely on the heals of the strategic pact signed in May 2025 between Sunrise and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to provide humanitarian assistance in the wake of natural disasters affecting CDEMA Participating States.

“As with our recent partnership with CDEMA, this MoU with the OECS shows that regional integration is not a distant ideal. It is a practical mission. One that requires bold policy choices, regional thinking, and cooperation with those committed to building bridges, not walls,” noted Mr. Bayard. “Let us lift barriers and build bridges, not only in the sky, but in our institutions, policies, and mindsets. Let us be, together, as One Caribbean.”

Sunrise Airways CEO Gary Stone echoed Mr. Bayard’s call for unity, saying: “I firmly believe that the region possesses the potential to achieve remarkable heights in the foreseeable future, catalyzing economic growth, facilitating trade, and fostering enhanced self-reliance. We eagerly anticipate collaborating as full partners in this visionary framework for a more robust, cohesive, and prosperous Eastern Caribbean.”

For more information on Sunrise Airways, please www.sunriseairways.net.

For more information on the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, please visit www.oecs.int.

About Sunrise Airways (www.SunriseAirways.net)
Sunrise Airways (IATA: S6, ICAO: KSZ) launched in 2012 with a mission to enhance connectivity among island states located throughout the Caribbean. Since then, the regional carrier has grown to employ a workforce totalling in excess of 250 aviation professionals in 24 gateways spread across the Americas. The Sunrise Airways route network, which started with domestic flights in Haiti, now extends throughout the Caribbean, as well as into the United States (Miami) and Central America (Panama). Flights serving gateways throughout the Eastern Caribbean were launched in 2024. The Sunrise Airways corporate headquarters and Service Oversight Center (SOC) are based at Toussaint Louverture International Airport (IATA: PAP, ICAO: MTPP) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Sunrise Airways is privately-owned. Its Founder and Chairman is noted Haitian businessman, philanthropist, and pilot, Philippe Bayard.

Stephen Bennett
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