The first evacuation flight out of Cap-Haitien, Haiti, after the suspension of flights landed at Miami International Airport on March 17, 2024. Francius St. Alma of Miami was among the passengers. ( Carl Juste, Miami Herald/TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — No one will be flying on a major U.S. carrier in and out of Haiti’s violence-plagued capital anytime soon.
Miami-based American Airlines, along with Jetblue Airways and Spirit Airlines, said that all flights into Port-au-Prince remain canceled amid the ongoing attacks by a united front of armed groups that have targeted the international airport and other key government infrastructure over the last four weeks.
The deadly siege led all three major U.S. airlines to cancel their commercial service as of March 4 into Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport. The airlines operate flights out of South Florida’s two major international airports while Jetblue also flies between between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Port-au-Prince.
In an official statement, JetBlue Airways says its flights will remain suspended through at least Friday, April 5.
“The safety and security of our customers and crew members is our top priority,” the statement said. “We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the U.S. embassy and our team in Haiti to determine next steps.”
For the latest fee waivers and to check flight status, JetBlue customers are encouraged to go to jetblue.com. If customers want to change destinations, they can cancel and use the fare for other flights, the airline said.
Spirit Airlines spokesman Michael Lopardi told the Miami Herald that the commercial carrier’s service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port-au-Prince “remains suspended until further notice.”
This also includes the airline’s service between Fort Lauderdale and Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s northern and much calmer port city.
The city’s Hugo Chavez International Airport has emerged as a gateway for U.S. citizens and others seeking to leave Haiti. Both the State Department and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have enlisted charter flights to airlift stranded Americans and Florida residents, respectively.
Last week, Haiti-based Sunrise Airways also launched its three-times a week commercial service between Cap-Haïtien and Miami for anyone with proper travel documents, including Haitian nationals approved for travel under the Biden administration’s two-year humanitarian parole program.
In all cases, however, arriving in Cap-Haïtien for those stuck in Port-au-Prince means traveling through potentially dangerous roads to catch helicopters to fly out, or boarding a commercial bus through gang-controlled territories. Those who have done it described both ventures as “nerve-wracking.”
As for anyone trying to fly between Miami and Port-au-Prince, the wait will go on until at least mid-April, American Airlines said.
Spokeswoman Laura Masvidal said due to the ongoing civil unrest, the Miami-based carrier has suspended its flights into Port-au-Prince through Wednesday, April 17.
“We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” she said.
The Miami-based carrier first began canceling flights into Port-au-Prince on February 29 along with Spirit Airlines, after gang attacks near the runways of both the international and domestic airports left a police officer wounded and jetliners shot up on the tarmac. By Sunday, March 3, the decision was taken by all three carriers to suspend international service until further notice.
Last week, the United Nations said that the situation in metropolitan Port-au-Prince remains intense and volatile. In recent days, the government has signaled its intentions to tear down buildings, north of the international airport’s wall. The buildings have been used by gangs to fire at the airport. After the attempt to seize control of the airports, members of Haiti’s Armed Forces were deployed to help the Haiti National Police secure the area. Both remain on patrol.
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