Sunrise Airways defends ticket prices, saying company does not directly benefit from state’s new funding

CAP-HAITIEN — Facing widespread criticism for sky-high ticket prices after resuming its domestic flights last week, Sunrise Airways President Philippe Bayard said his airline does not directly benefit from the $11 million insurance fund provided by the Haitian government. The money, he explained, acts solely as a security guarantee to cover possible casualties, not as a subsidy to reduce operating costs.

“We’re not getting a penny from it,” Bayard said. “This is money we will never see. Never.”

“It’s protecting us from, God forbid, eventual casualties. This is not money they gave to us [to help cover the cost of operations],” Bayard told The Haitian Times in an interview.  

As of Monday, a one-way ticket from Cap-Haïtien to Port-au-Prince was priced from $215 to $225, while an airfare from Cap-Haïtien to Les Cayes ranged from $220 to $240. These prices have sparked outrage on social media and across the diaspora, especially with the flights being short trips—roughly 50 minutes and one hour respectively.

Haitians have always been wary of trusting government officials and the private sector because of their long history of corruption, embezzlement and public abuse.

Many critics assumed that Sunrise, with access to state-backed insurance, was overcharging customers. But Bayard said the opposite is true: the airline’s insurance premiums for their aircraft have tripled due to gang violence, so the state’s insurance fund helps lighten those costs. Sunrise also has to bear the higher cost of operating flights without using the capital’s main airport.

Compounding the issue is the limited capacity of Sunrise’s aircraft, which carry a maximum of 30 passengers per trip. Yet, the company’s president did not explain why he could not acquire larger planes to respond to rising domestic air travel demands.

“The price is based on the number of seats,” Bayard said. “We’ve tried to reconsider the fares—trust me. But we can’t reduce prices until conditions normalize. Since 2018, we’ve dealt with lockdowns, the COVID-19 Pandemic, political turmoil—and now they’re shooting at airplanes.”

Sunrise resumed local flights on June 12 after the Haitian government offered an insurance guarantee to help the airline restore operations. Bayard said the state approached him two months ago to request the resumption of domestic service, and he informed them he couldn’t fly under his current insurance policy. The cost for insurance spiked after gang members shot at airplanes at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince in March and November 2024. The $11 million guarantee was the solution.

Though Sunrise is Haiti’s only airline currently offering domestic flights, Bayard says he’s committed to continuing operations—even if the public response has been discouraging.

“I’m happy because I’m making an important contribution in Haiti,” he said. “Air travel is vital for a country’s economy, so we need to keep going. But it’s deceiving—people take shots at us, like they’re not grateful for what we do.”

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