Overview:
American Airlines arrived in Port-au-Prince on Thursday, resuming its operations in Haiti after nearly three months of suspension. All commercial flights to and from Toussaint Louverture International Airport were suspended on March 3 due to escalating gang violence.
PORT-AU-PRINCE— American Airlines landed at Toussaint Louverture International Airport Thursday, marking its first flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince after a nearly three-month suspension of commercial flights due to escalating gang violence. This flight signifies the resumption of commercial flight operations by U.S. airline companies in Haiti.
“It is with a feeling of pride that my staff and I are happy to see planes returning internationally to Toussaint Louverture International Airport after three months of inactivity,” said Yves Ducarmel, director general of the National Airport Authority (AAN), during a press conference on Thursday.
A second American Airlines flight is planned for Friday, May 31, with other American companies expected to resume flights in June. Ducarmel urged Air Caraïbe, which links France to Haiti, and AirTransit from Canada to follow the example of American companies.
Since the escalation of gang violence and attacks on the international airport facility on March 3, commercial airlines, particularly American-based companies, have been reluctant to return to Port-au-Prince due to safety concerns. Several dates for the resumption of flights were announced but canceled at the last minute.
“It is with a feeling of pride that my staff and I are happy to see planes returning internationally to Toussaint Louverture International Airport after three months of inactivity.”
Yves Ducarmel, director general of the National Airport Authority (AAN)
On March 3, the vigilance and offensive of the police (PNH), supported by soldiers of the Haitian Armed Forces (FAD’H), prevented gangs from taking control of Toussaint Louverture International Airport.
As the security climate deteriorated, the major airliners demanded the demolition of over 180 houses used as hideouts by gangs around the airport as a requirement for the resumption of service and security measures. Security containers have been placed to prevent gang activities in the area. According to Ducarmel, the second phase of demolition is expected to begin soon, though no exact date was specified.
This airport security project, led by the Town Hall of Tabarre, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Public Works and the AAN, has already cost the Haitian state 300 million Gourdes (approximately $2.3 million).
Ducarmel assured that Toussaint Louverture International Airport now meets all safety conditions for international flights. He announced that Haiti will receive two other American commercial flights, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, next week. He explained that security guarantees have been provided to the companies to ensure the planes’ safety upon arrival.
“The security guarantees are that there will be no attacks on the planes when they arrive at the airport,” Ducarmel promised. “We have made arrangements with the PNH and the Haitian army to ensure the airport is very secure.”
While this flight marks the first commercial flight of an international company to Port-au-Prince, the local company Sunrise Airways had already resumed its flights between Miami and the Haitian capital on May 21, carrying a delegation of Kenyan officials. They arrived to assess the progress of preparations and the construction of the base for the much-anticipated deployment of the Kenya-led multinational force (MSS) to Haiti.
The deployment of the first troops of Kenyan police officers, initially planned for the end of May, was postponed by three weeks after the delegation’s assessment. The delay was due to the unpreparedness of the MSS base and the delay in purchasing necessary materials, including vehicles.
Meanwhile, the deployment of Kenyan police officers outside their territory is set to be reviewed by the Kenyan High Court of Justice on June 12, following an appeal by Kenyan petitioners, including former presidential candidate Ekuru Aukot. The plaintiffs argue that the Kenyan government is in contempt of a judicial decision prohibiting police deployment without a reciprocal agreement between the two countries.
The delay in the deployment of the multinational force and the resumption of international commercial flights occurs in the context of continuing insecurity in Haiti.
Gangs continue to make headlines with their crimes in the media. The latest notable event is the assassination of three missionaries, including an American couple, Davy and Natalie Lloyd, the son-in-law and daughter of Missouri State Representative Ben Baker, by gangs in the Lizon 49 locality in Croix-des-Bouquets, a few miles northeast of Port-au-Prince.
The two full-time missionaries in Haiti, who were returning from church, were targeted by a gang that ransacked their home. They were rescued by another gang, which subsequently decided to kill them. The bodies of the two American citizens were recovered by the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, and the burial of the third missionary, Haitian citizen Jude Montis, national director of Missions in Haiti Inc., took place on May 28.