U.S. government’s charter flights out of Haiti will be ending soon
If you’re a U.S. citizen in Haiti and still looking to escape the violence in Portau-Prince, there are only a few days left to do so with assistance from the U.S. government.
Potential travelers in
Haiti have been notified that U.S. government charter flights are not expected to continue after Friday, the State Department said.
The end of the U.S. government flights means American citizens, especially those still in Port-auPrince, will have limited options for leaving the country.
All commercial international flights out of Port-au-Prince remain canceled.
Miami-based American Airlines, which flies between Miami and Port-auPrince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport, has suspended its daily service through
April 17.
JetBlue Airways, which last week had suspended flights through last Friday, now says the cancellations will continue through at least May 15. The airline flies between the Haitian capital and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Spirit Airlines, the only major U.S. carrier that flies into both Port-auPrince and Cap-Haitien, has suspended flights into both airports until further notice. Spirit operates daily service out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International.
For now, the only direct commercial connection between Haiti and South Florida is Sunrise Airways, a Haiti-based airline. The airline has flights between CapHaitien’s Hugo Chavez International Airport and Miami International Airport scheduled for April 8-11 and April 13-14. The carrier is also looking to start service between Cap-Haitien and Panama, St. Maarten and Guadeloupe’s Pointe-a-Pitre as of April 15, however, customers should check the website for the schedule.
Both Port-au-Prince’s international and domestic airports have been closed for more than a month, along with the main seaport, following attacks by an alliance of armed groups. During one of the attacks, several airplanes belonging to Sunrise Airways were struck by bullets, leading the carrier and all of the major U.S. carriers to announce a cancellation of commercial flights as of March 4.
As a result, the U.S., Canada and France have put helicopters and charter flights at the disposal of their nationals seeking to leave Haiti.
So far, more than 300 U.S. citizens have taken advantage of the flights. Some individuals were transported on helicopters to the neighboring Dominican Republic, while others were taken to the northern port city of CapHaitien, where they then boarded the U.S. government charter after signing a promissory note to pay.
In a message sent in the past week by the U.S. Embassy to Americans still in Haiti, potential travelers were informed that the helicopter flights are offered when the security situation permits. Because flights may not always be available on the same day, travelers should be prepared to arrange their own lodging in Cap-Haitien.
Haitian authorities have not said when they expect the capital’s airports to be operational.
Both are currently being secured by the Haitian National Police and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Haiti, who, working together, have managed to repel gang attacks. However, the situation remains tense.
In the past week, armed groups have continued to loot and burn both public and private infrastructure and target critical infrastructure such as police stations, and they have made attempts on the National Palace.
In its latest update, the United Nations warned that the humanitarian situation continues to worsen. Ambulances and workers with the National Ambulance Center are still unable to access gang-controlled areas, and gunfire in the Champ-de-Mars, located across from the palace, and in the Delmas neighborhood has disrupted mobile clinics, the U.N. said. The global body also reported that suspected cases of cholera, a deadly waterborne disease, is now being reported in all of Haiti’s regional departments, with some communities reporting active outbreaks.
Late Friday, members of a presidential council charged with creating a path out of the crisis said that it had had finalized a political agreement among its seven voting members and two observers. The document, once signed, is expected to be sent to the Caribbean Community, which will then transmit it to outgoing Prime Minister
Ariel Henry so that his council of ministers can sign and the council can be formed.
Henry, who was forced to resign by Washington amid the turmoil, has said he will step aside once the council has been installed.