CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission says it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the privately-owned Haitian-based Sunrise Airways Ltd.
The Commission said that the “strategic, non-binding partnership focuses on enhancing air travel and transportation, both long-standing hindrances to integration in the OECS”.
The airline, as of January 2024, flies to nine domestic and international destinations and has a fleet size of 10.
It said that the MOU acknowledges the critical role of air transport in facilitating trade, tourism, disaster response, education, and free movement in alignment with the Revised Treaty of Basseterre.
“This collaborative framework also aims to foster sustainability and resilience in connectivity within the region, marking a commitment to enhance cooperation between aviation and travel stakeholders, targeted policy development, and welcoming fresh approaches toward addressing existing gaps. ”
OECS Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules, said the occasion is much more than a ceremonial act and represents the convergence of a shared vision, one in which air connectivity in the Eastern Caribbean is no longer a constraint, but a catalyst for opportunity, for innovation, and unity.
“We gather at a time of significant global and regional transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged every sector, but few as deeply and as immediately as aviation. Yet, even before the pandemic, intra-regional travel remained an elusive goal—complex, costly, and in many ways, inefficient. For small island developing states, these challenges take on greater weight. Connectivity is not optional—it is existential,” Jules added.
The founder and chairman of Sunrise Airways, Phillippe Bayard, said that there are opportunities to overcome the challenge of fragmentation in the region.
“The Caribbean remains disconnected not just because of aviation limitations, but because there is still not enough trade, economic interaction, and practical cooperation between us. This, in part, stems from our complex history. The legacy of different colonial systems, French, Dutch, British, and American, has left us with a fragmented patchwork of laws, currencies, languages, and conventions that often make inter-island trade more difficult than overseas trade.”
He said that this is difficult to explain and even harder to change, and must be acknowledged. “Because if we saw ourselves as a single integrated Caribbean community, a market of nearly 45 million people, with shared airspace, coordinated logistics, and collective ambition, we would unlock vast new potential for growth, resilience, and dignity.
“That is the real opportunity before us. And that is why this MOU is more than an airline agreement; it is a step toward that vision,” Bayard added.
The chief executive officer of the airline, Gary Stone, said he firmly believes 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.
“The commencement of this partnership today embodies our shared understanding that collective efforts yield more substantial accomplishments,” he added.
The OECS Commission reminds that the Revised Treaty of Basseterre requires member states to work towards the progressive harmonisation of air transport policies, particularly in tourism and trade.
“Additionally, member states have agreed to create conditions that enable the implementation of sustainable solutions to address their economic, social, and environmental needs. This MOU signifies bounds of progress for OECS member states in accomplishing these treaty requirements.”
The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands.
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