Philippe Bayard, Founder and President of the Haitian airline Sunrise Airways, received two major awards at the 2026 International Travel Awards presented by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) : the Gold Award for Excellence in Airline Leadership – Caribbean and the Best Airline – Caribbean award.

These awards were presented by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) during the World Tourism Leaders’ Summit, held at the Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB Berlin), considered the world’s largest travel and tourism industry event.

For Sunrise Airways, a company founded in Haiti and committed for over a decade to developing regional air links, this recognition is a significant milestone and a source of pride for the company's teams, as well as for Caribbean communities and the Haitian diaspora.

Philippe Bayard stated, "Receiving these international awards is a great honor for Sunrise Airways and for all the teams who work every day to bring the people of the Caribbean closer together. As a company founded in Haiti, we are particularly proud to contribute to strengthening ties between our islands and with diaspora communities. Our ambition is clear: to build a more connected, accessible and supportive region through our vision of a One Caribbean."

About Sunrise Airways :

Founded in 2012, Sunrise Airways has progressively developed a regional air network connecting Caribbean capitals and islands with shared economic, cultural, and tourism ties. Since its inception, the airline has carried nearly 1.85 million passengers to destinations including Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien, Les Cayes, Jérémie, Santo Domingo, Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Camagüey, Guadeloupe, Panama City, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Providenciales, and Saint Maarten. As part of its expansion into the Eastern Caribbean, launched in April 2024, Sunrise Airways now connects Antigua, Saint Kitts, Dominica, and Saint Lucia, furthering the airline's vision of a more integrated region within its "One Caribbean" concept.

About PATWA International : The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) is an international professional media organization founded in 1999. An independent, not-for-profit organization, it supports the sustainable development of destinations and the global travel and tourism industry. PATWA is an affiliate member of UN Tourism.

HL/ HaitiLibre