The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended its ban on U.S. commercial flights to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, through March 7, 2026, citing escalating violence and security threats posed by armed gangs wielding small arms and drones. The move, announced on September 5, 2025, comes as the security situation in Haiti’s capital continues to unravel, leaving the city—and much of the nation—largely isolated from direct U.S. air travel for at least another year.
The FAA’s extension of the ban, which was previously set to expire on September 8, 2025, is a direct response to the persistent danger that gangs present to civil aviation in and around Port-au-Prince. According to the FAA’s official statement, “Haitian (foreign terrorist organizations) maintain access to small arms and unmanned aircraft systems capable of reaching low-altitude phases of flight.” The agency highlighted that these groups now control nearly 90% of Port-au-Prince, including strategic routes and border areas, putting both arriving and departing flights at constant risk.
The immediate cause for the original ban dates back to November 2024, when gunfire struck three U.S.-registered planes, including flights operated by Spirit Airlines and JetBlue, as they attempted to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport. In one incident, a Spirit Airlines flight attendant was injured, and other commercial planes on the ground were also hit by stray bullets. According to Associated Press, these attacks forced the airport to close for the second time in 2024 and prompted the FAA to halt all U.S. commercial flights to the capital. Although the airport reopened in December 2024, only domestic flights resumed in June 2025; international commercial flights remain suspended as of September 2025.
Gang violence in Haiti has been spiraling since 2020, with a brutal gang war erupting in and around the capital. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 by foreign mercenaries further destabilized the country, and the failure to hold elections in 2023 left Haiti without democratically elected officials. As Reuters and AVIONEWS both report, the resulting power vacuum allowed gangs—now officially designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government—to seize control of the vast majority of Port-au-Prince and its main transport corridors.
One gang coalition, Viv Ansanm, was designated a foreign terrorist organization by U.S. authorities in May 2025 after it orchestrated coordinated attacks that forced Toussaint Louverture International Airport to close for nearly three months in 2024. Despite the airport’s reopening in May 2025, violence persisted. The FAA reported at least one incident of suspected gang members firing small arms at a low-flying aircraft as recently as March 2025. These groups’ access to drones and other unmanned aircraft systems has only heightened the threat to commercial aviation, particularly during vulnerable takeoff and landing phases.
The security crisis has had a profound impact on Haiti’s connectivity with the outside world. With Port-au-Prince effectively off-limits to U.S. carriers, travelers have been forced to rely on indirect routes through regional airports or neighboring countries—a costly and logistically challenging detour. As Boston Herald notes, the only remaining direct commercial gateways from the United States are Cap-Haïtien Hugo Chávez International Airport and Antoine Simon Les Cayes International Airport, both of which are located far from the capital and serve only a fraction of the passenger volume Toussaint Louverture once handled.
Cap-Haïtien International Airport (CAP), located in northern Haiti, has become the country’s primary operational airport for commercial flights. Airlines such as Sunrise Airways, Bahamasair, Caicos Express Airways, and InterCaribbean Airways now operate out of CAP, offering direct flights to destinations like Miami and Nassau. According to Simple Flying, Sunrise Airways, the primary domestic carrier, operates daily flights from Cap-Haïtien to Miami, while Bahamasair connects Nassau on a semi-regular basis. Les Cayes Airport (CYA), located about 220 miles south of Cap-Haïtien, maintains limited commercial service, primarily via smaller regional carriers.
Despite these alternatives, the capacity of Cap-Haïtien and Les Cayes is nowhere near sufficient to replace the passenger and cargo throughput of Port-au-Prince’s main airport. As reported by Reuters, millions of Haitians rely on Toussaint Louverture International Airport for business, family travel, and medical purposes. The closure has thus imposed significant financial and logistical burdens on travelers, who must now transit through regional airports or neighboring countries such as the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas to leave Haiti.
The ban also impacts international relief and diplomatic efforts. While Toussaint Louverture International Airport remains open to military and diplomatic flights—including those connected to a Kenyan-led multinational mission preparing to deploy against Haitian armed groups—there has been little progress in securing the perimeter or restoring regular commercial service. Earlier this year, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Dennis Hankins met with Reginald Guignard, director of the National Civil Aviation Office, to discuss possible security measures, but diplomatic efforts have yet to yield tangible results.
In the meantime, foreign governments, including the United States, have been organizing charter flights and evacuation missions for their citizens, primarily departing from Cap-Haïtien. The U.S. Department of State, for example, ran evacuation flights out of Cap-Haïtien between March and April 2024 in response to the escalating violence. These missions, while essential, are no substitute for the regular commercial connections that once linked Haiti’s capital to the outside world.
The FAA has made it clear that the ban will remain in place until the security situation improves substantially. According to the agency, “ongoing security challenges prevent authorities from stopping attacks on aircraft in and around Port-au-Prince.” The FAA continues to prohibit U.S. civil aviation from operating below 10,000 feet in designated areas of Haitian airspace, given the ongoing risk of aerial attacks by armed groups.
For now, the future of commercial aviation in Haiti remains uncertain. As gangs tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region, and with no immediate solutions in sight, the country’s main international gateway is likely to remain shuttered to U.S. flights well into 2026. Haitians and foreign travelers alike are left to navigate an increasingly complex—and perilous—web of travel restrictions and security risks as they seek to move in and out of the country.
In a nation already reeling from years of violence, political turmoil, and economic hardship, the extended flight ban on Port-au-Prince is yet another blow—one that underscores the deepening crisis and the urgent need for effective solutions.