Port au Prince, Haiti reopens for international traffic

Port au Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Haiti, has re-opened to commercial flights after it was temporarily closed last week following the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse. A NOTAM published on July 7, which had closed the aerodrome to all but humanitarian, diplomatic, and government flights, has now been rescinded.

Local airline Sunrise Airways (S6, Port au Prince), in a statement, has confirmed that domestic flights in Haiti have resumed but are still subject to disruptions and schedule changes. The airline took up its normal domestic schedule on July 9 from Port au Prince to Jérémie, Les Cayes, and Cap Haitien after having downed flights on July 7 and 8.

However, according to Sunrise Airways, following directives from Dominican authorities, flights between the Dominican Republic and Haiti remain suspended until further notice. This affects its international flights to Santo Domingo La Isabela in the Dominican Republic.

After having cancelled its flights, American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) resumed two rotations to the Haitian capital from Miami Int’l on July 10, and by July 12, it had resumed its flights from Fort Lauderdale Int’l as well, according to Flightradar24 ADS-B data. Fellow US airlines JetBlue Airways (New York JFK and Fort Lauderdale Int’l) and Spirit Airlines (Fort Lauderdale) also resumed flights, as had interCaribbean Airways (JY, Providenciales) from Cap-Haitien.

The Air Caraibes (TX, Pointe à Pitre) flight from Paris Orly on July 12 did not operate. Air France (AF, Paris CDG) was scheduled to resume its flights between Port au Prince and Pointe à Pitre (Guadeloupe) on August 30, according to the company website.

Meanwhile, a team of FBI and US State Department officials has travelled to Haiti to assist in the Haitian National Police investigation into the assassination of President Moïse, reported the New York Times. The Haitian government has also requested US troops to help secure the country.

A Haitian-born doctor based in Florida, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, has been arrested as a key suspect in the assassination. Haitian police at a news conference suggested the suspect was plotting to become president. Some two dozen others have been arrested in connection with the killing.