March 12, 2025, should have marked the end of flight restrictions for American airlines to Port-au-Prince following the serious incidents of November 2024.
As was the case last December, when the restriction was set to expire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission) extending the ban. This time, however, it is not a one-month or three-month suspension—it is a six-month extension.
Many had already predicted that there was no chance the FAA would lift the ban on flights to Haiti. Haitian authorities are being penalized for making no real effort to resolve or even address the problems at Toussaint Louverture International Airport—namely, securing its perimeter and access points.
In December 2024, as the previous flight ban was nearing its end, Haitian authorities had boasted that commercial flights were resuming, as if they could simply will it into reality. Yet, to this day, nothing has changed—not even for regional flights that could facilitate the Cap-Haïtien–Port-au-Prince route, which remains prohibitively expensive by helicopter and still dangerous by land.
This time, after visits to the Port-au-Prince airport by former and current Presidents Leslie Voltaire and Fritz Alphonse Jean, as well as Prime Minister Didier Alix Fils-Aimé, all of which ended without any announcements or concrete measures, a photo of a working meeting between Haitian officials and representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti led many to believe that the return of commercial flights to the capital was imminent.
Three times, alas! It will not happen.
For now, neither the FAA nor insurance companies have eased their list of requirements for Port-au-Prince (PAP) to meet aviation standards.
When asked about the situation, diplomats involved in ‘babysitting’ Haitian officials explain that our dear leaders are very convincing when it comes to explaining what they haven’t done yet…
Regarding Haiti’s airport infrastructure, tens of millions of dollars have been spent over the years on Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien, Les Cayes, Île-à-Vache, and other locations, yet the essentials—quality service and security—remain unaddressed.
On paper and in photos, Haitian authorities appear to be hard at work. In reality, they do nothing but waste hope, maintain illusions, and sell snake oil.
While we wait for the first international flight to Les Cayes and for Air Aruba’s first plane to land in Port-au-Prince, travelers are paying a heavy price—whether in hard cash or raw emotion—for the necessity of leaving the capital.