Group revives petition for $30M upgrade of Les Cayes airport in southern Haiti

In the heart of southern Haiti, a group of citizens have resumed rallying behind a petition for the central government to resume a $30 million modernization of Aéroport Antoine Simon des Cayes. Supporters of the petition, linked to a civil society group called Les Cayes Twenty-First Century (#LCTFC), have called for prompt action to complete the Great South International Airport that would connect the world to the prosperous region they envision.  

Since April, the advocates and supporters for decentralized development in Haiti reignited a Change.org campaign titled “#NouBoukeTann, #NouPakaTannAnkò. In English, “we are tired of waiting, we are fed up.” 

“The airport’s strategic location on the Caribbean coast, near the Ravine du Sud River, makes it a critical point for both domestic and international travel,” Anselme Junior Joseph, one of the campaign initiators, told the Haitian Times. 

“Enhancing its facilities would not only benefit the residents of Les Cayes and the Great South globally but also attract tourists and investors, thereby stimulating economic growth in the region,” he added.

Since 2018, citizens have been demanding answers from the Haitian government, with no response. This time, they hope to catch the attention of the transitional government and newly-appointed Prime Minister Garry Conille. They also want to garner enough public support to stimulate private and institutional investments.

International airport in south more than a necessity

The southern peninsula includes the South, Southeast, Nippes, and Grand’Anse departments. It is home to 25% of Haiti’s  12 million population. Les Cayes, the capital of the South Department, is a significant hub for commerce, agricultural production, tourism and transportation. 

The transformation of its airport is considered an essential part of Haiti’s broader efforts to boost the local economy, improve connectivity, create jobs and foster social development in the region. Named after François C. Antoine Simon, a Les Cayes native who was President of Haiti from 1908 to 1911, the airport originally opened as an airstrip. It was officially inaugurated in 2005 by then-Prime Minister Gérard Latortue, with financial support from Taiwan, and is considered a vital gateway for the southern region.

This transformation project started in February 2013 to bring it up to international standards, but the work has since stalled without any explanations from the Haitian

authorities.

Joseph, director of special projects at the Gaskov Clergé Foundation—a New York-based philanthropic organization—experienced firsthand the urgent need for a full-scale international airport in the Great South. In August 2021, a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,200 people and injured more than 12,000. The disaster worsened existing challenges such as a lack of reliable seaports and airports and delayed the distribution of life-saving relief supplies.

Joseph and others are now reviving the petition spearheaded by local community leaders and supported by residents, business owners and civic organizations both in Haiti and the diaspora. Together, they are calling for immediate action to resume the standardization and construction work.

“We believe that a modernized airport will open up new opportunities for our community,” said Marie-Louise Jean, a local entrepreneur and one of the initial petition’s organizers. “It will facilitate better market access, improve tourism and create jobs. We cannot afford to let this project remain unfinished.”

Nou Bouke Tann Aéroport International Antoine Simon Grand Sud La! 

In English, we are tired of waiting for the Antoine Simon Great South International Airport.

An artistic rendition of how the airport should look once modernization is completed, according to the #NouBoukeTann petition by Les Cayes Twenty-First Century on Change.org.

Campaign supporter Morisset Saint-Preux said, “It is very difficult to find a large–scale project in Haiti that would have a drastic and decisive impact on the much-coveted decentralization, such as an international airport in Les Cayes that could serve the Great South.”

“This international airport would, therefore, commemorate an era of sustainable socio-economic development here in Haiti,” Saint-Preux said, commenting online. “Considering that this country’s tourism future lies in this region, it is imperative that socio-economic common sense finally replaces administrative indifference and political incompetence.” 

The petition, which was discontinued in 2018 when then-President Jovenel Moise promised to prioritize its completion during a site visit, has garnered more than 7,230 signatures as of June 3. The number grows daily.

“We anticipate the petition to remain active until the international airport is actually built,” Joseph said.

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