Dominica welcomes Sunrise Airways with water cannon display, inaugurates 6-day weekly flights

Roseau, Dominica: Dominica welcomed the inaugural flight of Sunrise Airways and commenced the new journey in air connectivity on Monday. With the water cannon display, the Embraer E120 landed at the Douglas Charles Airport and launched the six-day weekly service.

The daily service of the flights will connect Dominica to Antigua, St Kitts, and then Saint Lucia, aiming to enhance regional connectivity. It will also create new opportunities for economic growth and provide new business opportunities with efficient air linkages between these countries.

The Ministry of Tourism of Dominica extended a welcome to the officials of the airline CEO Phillippe Bayard onboard with a brief ceremony which was also attended by several government dignitaries including acting Prime Minister Dr Irving McIntyre, Minister for Tourism- Denise Charles, and other stakeholders at the airport’s executive lounge.

During the ceremony, CEO Bayard added that this is the start of a new chapter for Sunrise Airways and Dominica. “We are thrilled to inaugurate scheduled service out of Dominica at a time when the country’s tourism and business prospects are on the rise, whether visitors are here watching hiking in the rainforest or business, Airways is excited to help discover and appreciate all that this island has to offer.”

He termed Dominica as a focal point of their travel in the Eastern Caribbean and noted that the schedule and product offerings have been crafted with the long-identified but unfulfilled access needs of Dominica in mind.

CEO Bayard further asserted that the flights will connect not only Dominica but also Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia.

Recalling the journey of the airline, the CEO cited,” Since the founding of Sunrise Airways in 2012, our journey has been one of learning and growth. Today marks an important milestone in making the one Caribbean dream a reality.”

The CEO further added that the seamless integration of Dominica and the Eastern Caribbean operations into the Sunrise Airways system under the one Caribbean concept has been a long-awaited dream. He thanked all who played a part in making the dream a reality and reiterated his commitment to being a worthy partner of Dominica and other states of the community.

He said that they will work together to deliver a standard of service and thanked everyone who has been involved in making this possible.

Meanwhile, Minister for Tourism- Denise Charles was also excited about a new connection in Dominica for citizens and visitors alike and expressed deep gratitude to Sunrise Airways for its incredible initiative. She said that the flight marked a significant milestone for Dominica and its tourism industry and lauded the airline for its commitment to enhancing regional connectivity.

Minister Charles also added that the government will continue its efforts to ensure hassle-free travel to Dominica and the efforts are being magnified by the construction of the new international airport.

“The Dominica Labour Administration has made and will continue to make the necessary investments to increase air service to our country especially non-stop and same day, ”said the minister.

She further thanked all stakeholders and other tourism officials for making the day possible.