PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The major international airport in Haiti reopened for commercial flights on Wednesday, marking a significant milestone after being closed for a month due to gang violence that included gunfire directed at aircraft. This is the second shutdown of the airport this year brought about by similar safety concerns.
In response to the escalating violence, an increase in security measures has been implemented. Soldiers and police, along with a contingent from the Kenyan police participating in a United Nations-supported initiative, are actively patrolling the airport area. The government has confirmed the success of a recent test flight, indicating readiness to resume operations.
The resumption of flights is seen as a crucial step towards revitalizing Haiti’s economy, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. Nonetheless, when the airport reopened, there were no scheduled flights or passengers present by Wednesday afternoon. Heavily armed police had established checkpoints around the facility, disrupting public transport, and the normally crowded airport parking lot was noticeably empty, with only a handful of vehicles visible.
An older resident arrived at the airport earlier that day, hoping to gather information about future flights from Port-au-Prince. He found no airline staff at the counters and expressed his fears for personal safety without elaborating further. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended its ban on flights to Haiti’s capital until March 12 due to ongoing safety concerns.
The Toussaint Louverture Airport had been closed since mid-November following a serious incident where armed gangs targeted a Spirit Airlines flight that was approaching for landing. A flight attendant was injured during the attack. This prompted major airlines, including Spirit, JetBlue, and American Airlines, to suspend their operations to Haiti. Subsequently, the FAA enacted a 30-day prohibition against U.S. airlines flying to the country.
Earlier in the year, the airport had been closed for nearly three months after gangs conducted coordinated assaults on critical government facilities beginning in late February, with these groups currently exerting control over around 85% of Port-au-Prince.
Details about the specific flights set to resume on Wednesday remained unclear, as the FAA’s ban was still active at that time. A representative from Spirit mentioned that all flights to both Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, the location of Haiti’s other international airport, were on hold “until further notice.” Additionally, American Airlines indicated they are monitoring the situation and may consider restarting Port-au-Prince flights by late 2025. A request for comment from JetBlue was not returned.
For the past month, the only functioning international airport in Haiti was situated in Cap-Haitien, but reaching it from Port-au-Prince has been perilous due to gang-controlled roads notorious for ambushes on public transport. Those fortunate enough to escape the violence in the capital have turned to costly private air travel, shelling out thousands to get to Cap-Haitien.
The persistent violence in the region and aggressive actions reportedly taken by Haiti’s National Police led Doctors Without Borders to suspend its operations in the country for the first time ever in late November. However, the organization announced on Wednesday that it had cautiously started to resume some activities in Port-au-Prince, although patient transport services are still halted and one of its hospitals remains closed.
Tragically, around 5,000 fatalities have been reported in Haiti this year alone, including over 100 victims from a recent massacre carried out in a gang-dominated area of Port-au-Prince. Furthermore, on Tuesday night, an additional incident saw a gang kill more than 20 individuals in the Petite-Rivière area of the central Artibonite region, as reported by Radio Méga and human rights lawyer Rosy Auguste Ducéna.
