American Airlines suspends flights to Haiti indefinitely
Miami – American Airlines will no longer resume daily flights from Miami to Port-au-Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport. American initially suspended flights through February 12. The suspension is now indefinite.
A spokesman for the U.S. airline said it would evaluate the possibility of a major U.S. airline resuming its only daily flight to Haiti from Miami International Airport in late 2025.
This is in Federal Aviation Administration banned american airlines No more flights to Haiti after 30 days gang Three aircraft were shot. Separately, the United Nations suspended flights to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, restricting humanitarian aid entering the country.
American’s statement read in part: “American Airlines has made the difficult decision to suspend daily flights between Miami (MIA) and Port-au-Prince (PAP), Haiti,” a spokesperson said. “We are proud of our more than 50-year commitment to Haiti and we will continue to monitor the situation, assess safety, security and customer needs, and assess return on service. We will proactively contact affected customers to offer them a full refund for their travel itinerary ”
Airlines avoid potentially violent incidents
Last month, multiple airlines — including American Airlines, JetBlue and spirit airlines — announced it was suspending daily flights to Haiti after confirming its plane was shot at in Haitian airspace in early November.
Neither Spirit Airlines nor JetBlue Airways have said if and when they will resume flights to Haiti.
JetBlue operates flights to Port-au-Prince from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Spirit Airlines, which was carrying passengers approaching Toussaint Louverture International Airport when the bullet struck, also suspended flights between Fort Lauderdale and Cap-Haïtien 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 caused serious problems for Haitians. Roads into and out of the capital are controlled by armed gangs, and last week’s mudslides buried two main roads linking Cap Haitien with the capital.
Those leaving the capital either had to beg to fly on government-leased helicopters used to move security forces to hotspots, or pay $2,500 to fly in privately chartered helicopters with a 20-pound weight limit.
The FAA initially imposed a flight ban across Haiti. It later revised its decision to exclude airports outside the capital.
The only other airport that handles commercial international flights is Hugo Chávez International Airport in the northern city of Cap-Haitien.
Today, this small airport is the only air bridge into and out of the country. Airspace between Haiti and the Dominican Republic remains closed. The Bahamas suspended flights to the country. The only direct flight to the United States is currently through Haitian-owned Sunrise Airways.
Still, that didn’t stop the U.S. Expelling Haitians Return to the country. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security airlifted 70 deportees to Cap-Haitien despite days of heavy rains that flooded the city and blocked all access to the rest of Haiti from the city.
