(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – Creating chaos in American skies, gang violence in Haiti’s capital has forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to extend the flight ban for U.S. airlines.
The FAA announced the extended prohibition on U.S. jetliners flying into Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, citing the severe risk posed by heavily armed gangs.
The ban, which also includes the island of La Gonave, was initially imposed last November after gangs fired upon three U.S. commercial airlines as they approached the city’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport.
While U.S. carriers can fly over Port-au-Prince’s airspace at altitudes above 10,000 feet, they cannot land without prior FAA authorization.
This restriction has effectively shut down Haiti’s air operations, with no domestic flights and severely limited international activity.
Major U.S. airlines have abandoned their Haitian routes, with JetBlue extending its suspension until at least June and American Airlines indefinitely halting operations.
For Americans and Haitians desperate to leave the country, options are dangerously limited.
Travelers must either use the smaller international airport in Cap-Haïtien—requiring treacherous ground travel through gang-controlled territories—or pay premium prices for private helicopter transport.
Even though the ban does not affect U.S.-registered aircraft operated by foreign carriers, Sunrise Airways can maintain limited direct flights between Haiti and Miami using a U.S. charter company.
The situation on the ground continues to deteriorate despite the presence of Haiti’s national police and a U.N.-backed Kenya-led multinational police force.
Violent criminal organizations now control vast areas of Port-au-Prince and are expanding their reach throughout the country.
These gangs, often equipped with high-caliber rifles and machine guns, engage in widespread violence, including killings, kidnappings, rapes, and the recruitment of children.
The FAA’s assessment of the threat is clear: gangs “possess small arms, including high-caliber rifles and machine guns, posing risks primarily to aircraft on the ground, during low-altitude flight operations and during the approach/departure phases of flight.”
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels, with over 1 million Haitians displaced and facing hunger and sexual violence in makeshift camps.
Haiti’s police force is woefully undermanned, with only 9,000 to 10,000 officers for a population of 11 million—a fraction of what the neighboring Dominican Republic maintains.
United Nations human rights expert William O’Neill has advocated for increasing the multinational force to 2,500 well-equipped officers and providing enhanced mobility assets, including helicopters and night vision equipment.
Haiti faces critical aviation challenges, with the ongoing flight ban heightening the sense of urgency.
The current situation requires decisive action to restore safety and connectivity for Haitians and travelers alike.
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