American Airlines Returns to Haiti After Two-Year Suspension
American Airlines has resumed flights to Haiti, landing a plane from Miami in Cap-Haïtien after two years without service.
Key points
- The flight landed at Cap-Haïtien airport in northern Haiti.
- American Airlines had suspended service in November 2024.
- The suspension followed a plane found with bullet holes after leaving Port-au-Prince; no one was hurt.
- The U.S. FAA later banned commercial flights to Haiti.
American Airlines resumed flights to Haiti on Sunday. A Boeing 737-800 from Miami landed at Cap-Haïtien airport in northern Haiti, ending two years without service in the Caribbean nation.
Cap-Haïtien is Haiti's second-largest airport, after the one in Port-au-Prince. According to Haiti's Ministry of Culture and Communication, the airline's return is due in part to efforts by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to modernize the airport and improve the country's international air links.
American Airlines halted its flights in November 2024, after an inspection in Miami found bullet damage on one of its planes, which had left Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. No one was injured. JetBlue and the now-defunct Spirit Airlines also reported similar incidents, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later banned commercial flights to Haiti.
Cap-Haïtien already receives flights from the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries, as well as planes carrying deportees from the United States. Several foreign airlines have also asked Haiti's civil aviation authority for permission to operate routes to Europe and other destinations in the Americas.
The return comes amid a severe wave of violence. Armed gangs control large parts of Port-au-Prince and have caused thousands of deaths. Haitian security forces and the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which includes more than 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers, are fighting these groups. Four Salvadoran soldiers remain missing after an attack on October 18.
Why it matters
The return of international flights could make travel easier between Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Security remains the main challenge for keeping these routes open.