MIAMI – American Airlines is no longer resuming its daily service from Miami to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. American had initially suspended flights until February 12. The suspension is now indefinite.
A spokesperson for the U.S.-based carrier said it would evaluate a possible late 2025 resumption of the only daily service from Miami International Airport to Haiti by a major U.S. airline.
This comes after the Federal Aviation Administration US airlines banned to fly to Haiti for 30 days after the gangs shot down three planes. Additionally, the United Nations temporarily suspended flights to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, limiting humanitarian aid entering the country.
The American Airlines statement said in part: “American has made the difficult decision to suspend daily service between Miami (MIA) and Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP),” the spokesperson said. “We are proud of our more than 50 years of commitment to Haiti and we will continue to monitor the situation, assessing safety, security and customer demand, in order to assess a return of service. We will proactively contact affected customers to offer them a full refund of their travel itinerary.
Several airlines avoid potential violence
Last month, several airlines, including American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines — announced the suspension of daily flights to Haiti after confirming that their planes were hit by gunfire while in Haitian airspace in early November.
Neither Spirit nor JetBlue have said if or when they will resume flights to Haiti.
JetBlue Airways operates flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport to Port-au-Prince.
Spirit Airlines, which was approaching Toussaint Louverture International Airport with passengers when the bullets struck, also suspended service between Fort Lauderdale and Cap-Haitien in the north of the country.
No passengers were injured.
What does this mean for Haitians in the United States and Haiti?
The ban on commercial and cargo flights has created serious problems for Haitians. Roads in and out of the capital are controlled by armed gangs, and mudslides last week buried two main roads connecting Cap-Haitien and the capital.
Those who made it out of the capital had to either beg for a ride aboard a government-leased helicopter intended to move security forces to hot zones or pay $2,500 for a ride aboard a private helicopter with a weight limit of 20 pounds. .
The FAA initially placed all of Haiti under a flight ban. It later changed its decision to exclude airports located outside the capital.
The only other airport that can accommodate international commercial flights, Hugo Chavez International Airport, is in the northern city of Cap-Haitien.
Today, the small airport constitutes the only air bridge in and out of the country. The airspace between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is still closed. The Bahamas has suspended flights to the country. The only direct service to the United States currently is via Haitian-owned Sunrise Airways.
Despite this, this did not prevent the United States from deport Haitians return to the country. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security transported 70 deportees to Cap-Haïtien despite days of heavy rains that flooded the city and blocked all access out of the city to other parts of Haiti.
