Northern Haiti airports reopened to US flights

 U.S. flights to six airports in northern Haiti can resume this week, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

The restart comes after the FAA prohibited U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti’s airports earlier this month because some planes were hit with bullets amid escalating gang violence in the country.

Pilots can fly planes to six airports in Haiti: Port-de-Paix, Cap-Haïtien, Pignon, Jeremie, Antoine-Simon and Jacmel. Flights to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, are still prohibited, the FAA said. 

“The FAA issued a modified Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) adjusting the area in Haiti where U.S. civil aircraft and U.S. pilots can operate. The new NOTAM prohibits operations below 10,000 feet in specified areas of Haiti identified in the NOTAM until December 12th,” the FAA said in a statement to The Hill. 

“Prior to today’s restrictions, the FAA prohibited operations in the entirety of the territory and airspace of Haiti below 10,000 feet for 30 days,” the agency added. 

Nearly two weeks ago, a JetBlue flight, going from Port-au-Prince, was hit by a bullet, an inspection showed. The plane landed safely at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The incident was reported shortly before Spirit Airlines Flight 951, leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was shot at as it was approaching Haiti. The pilot diverted the plane safely to Santiago, Dominican Republic, while one attendant was injured. 

Haiti has experienced instability following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. In recent weeks, violence in Haiti’s capital, stemming from armed gangs, has intensified with more than 20,000 fleeing their homes, according to the United Nations.

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5005159-some-haiti-airports-reopened-for-us-flights/