Haiti could be ‘completely isolated’ as gunfire closes main airport again

Haiti’s main international airport remains shut down for the second time this year after three United States commercial passenger planes were hit by suspected gang gunfire, leaving the conflict-torn state cut off from the travel industry.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday banned all US airlines from operating in Haiti for 30 days, citing two incidents involving planes from Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways. American Airlines later confirmed one of its planes was “impacted by a bullet.”

It remains unclear how soon operations for any airline can resume at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport due to passenger security and aircraft insurance concerns.

“Haiti could find itself completely isolated,” said Emilio Gonzalez, a former US National Security Council director for Latin America and former director of Miami International Airport.

“I can’t imagine any airline, passenger or commercial, will be willing to fly into a free-fire zone, which is what Haiti has become, for the foreseeable future,” he told Al Jazeera. “The Haitian government is going to have to convince the world that it’s safe to land there. That’s a huge lift right now.”

The airport, which is the busiest in Haiti, is officially closed until November 18, according to Haiti’s National Office of Civil Aviation.

Even United Nations helicopters are unable to land in Port-au-Prince for now, according to a senior UN official.

Among those left stranded was the US ambassador to Haiti, Dennis Hankins who was out of the country when the airport was shut down. “Ambassador Hankins is on official travel and plans to return to Haiti at the earliest availability,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera.

Security alert

The three gunfire attacks on commercial flights and the ensuing airport closure mark the latest episode of instability in a country beset by gang-related violence  that has claimed almost 4,000 lives this year, according to the UN.

The US embassy in Haiti issued an updated security alert on Tuesday advising its citizens against travelling to Haiti and to keep a “low profile” if they do.

“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” it said. “The US government cannot guarantee your safety travelling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel.”

The airport closure has also raised questions about the planned arrival next week of 600 Kenyan police officers, due to reinforce a UN-backed security mission meant to help the government restore order.

About 400 Kenyan police were sent to Haiti in June to help restore order after the international airport was closed for almost three months due to gunfire from nearby gang strongholds.

Political upheaval

Further evidence of the instability in the country came over the weekend, when Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) fired interim Prime Minister Garry Conille and swore in his replacement, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, on Monday.

Conille’s government had been desperately trying to restore a semblance of law and order with the help of the international community and the UN-backed security force led by Kenya.

But the council lost confidence in Conille, claiming he had failed to make enough progress while ignoring their advice on his principal mission of restoring security and democratic rule after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

The US on Tuesday called on Haiti’s leaders to ensure credibility over competing personal interests after Conille’s ouster, while saying it would work with Fils-Aime.

“The acute and immediate needs of the Haitian people mandate that the transitional government prioritise governance over the competing personal interests of political actors,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“It is also imperative to promote accountability within the TPC to maintain credibility with the Haitian people and the international community,” Miller said, an apparent reference to allegations of corruption against several council members.

Gang violence

Haiti is mired in a deepening humanitarian crisis due to years of gang violence that have forced more than 700,000 people from their homes, deepening already devastating poverty and hunger, according to the UN.

With large areas of the capital under gang control, including key highways to the east and north, many residents have no safe way out.

The country’s border with the Dominican Republic has been closed to all Haitians for several months and commercial flights between the two countries also suspended.

Roads out of the capital, including the main highway to the second city of Cap-Haitien on the north coast, which has an international airport, are also controlled by gangs, who regularly kidnap bus passengers and truck drivers.

Almost 100 people were killed in a massacre by gang members last month in the town of Pont-Sonde, just off the main road about 100km (60 miles) north of Port-au-Prince.

Commercial flights at risk

On Monday, a Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the US was hit by gunfire as it tried to make its final approach to the Port-au-Prince airport, forcing it to abort its landing and divert to an airport in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

A flight attendant was slightly injured in the incident, while no passengers were harmed. Photographs appeared to show bullet holes in overhead compartments and interior panels, as well as the exterior fuselage.

Later that day, bullet damage was also discovered on a JetBlue plane that had flown from Haiti to New York. American Airlines also disclosed that a post-flight inspection in Miami of one of its planes that took off early Monday from Haiti’s capital revealed a bullet hole. No injuries were reported by either company.

JetBlue announced an investigation and said it would stop all flights to and from the country until December 2.

American Airlines also announced it was investigating the incident and suspended its flights to Port-au-Prince until February 13, 2025. “We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” a company spokesman said.

Monday’s plane shootings were not the first time an aircraft travelling over Port-au-Prince was hit by suspected gang gunfire in recent months. In October, a UN helicopter with 18 people on board was hit. No one was injured, and the flight was able to land safely.

The US Embassy in Haiti was also forced to evacuate some of its non-essential diplomatic staff after gunmen targeted two of its vehicles. No personnel were injured.