FAA extends flight ban on Haiti until March 2025

Editor’s Note: Juhakenson Blaise, Haitian Times’ senior reporter in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed additional reporting to this story.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Wednesday that it will renew the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) restricting U.S. civil aviation operations below 10,000 feet in designated areas of Haiti, including Port-au-Prince. Due to ongoing safety concerns fueled by gang violence, the restrictions on air travel, initially set to expire Thursday, have been extended until March 2025—despite Haiti’s authorities reopening their main international airport to restore a month-long suspension of critical connectivity.

“The FAA will renew the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) prohibiting operations below 10,000 feet in specified areas of Haiti until March 12, 2025,” a statement from the U.S. aviation agency’s press office read.

The updated NOTAM maintains the modified restrictions issued on Nov. 20, adjusting the area in Haiti where U.S. civil aircraft and U.S. pilots can operate. It further clarifies which parts of Haiti remain unsafe for low-altitude operations, allowing U.S. aircraft to operate only at higher altitudes unless otherwise exempted.

The restricted areas are mostly Haiti’s West and Artibonite departments, where criminal gangs have ramped up their attacks since Nov. 11, when three U.S.-based carriers, including American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Spirit Airlines, were struck by gunfire.

Effective Dec. 12, the renewed NOTAM comes amid Haiti’s continued instability and security threats, affecting air and ground safety. This decision follows previous temporary prohibitions, including a blanket 30-day restriction on flights across Haiti’s entire airspace issued on Nov. 12. The FAA later amended its decision to exclude airports outside the Haitian capital, notably the country’s only other international airport in Cap-Haïtien, a northern city about 121 air miles from Port-au-Prince. However, aside from the Haiti-based carrier Sunrise Airways, no other airline has resumed service since then.

The FAA’s decision highlights the persistent volatility in Haiti’s airspace due to escalating security concerns, particularly armed gang activity. The agency’s notice aims to mitigate risks for flights originating in or traversing the region.

Haitians criticize the government’s failure to restore security

The FAA’s extended ban, coupled with American Airlines’ decision to suspend flights to Haiti indefinitely, has been widely criticized as a reflection of the Haitian authorities’ failure to address the country’s ongoing security crisis. Despite the government’s continuous promise to address safety concerns and improve security, the situation in Port-au-Prince has continued to deteriorate since the U.S. agency’s initial decision in November.

Over the past month alone, gang violence has displaced more than 50,000 people and claimed over 360 lives in the Haitian capital. The most recent tragedy is a horrible bloodbath orchestrated in Cité Soleil by the notorious Monel “Micanord” Félix—also known as Micanord “Wa Mikanò” Altès—gang based in nearby Warf Jérémie on Dec. 7-8. Additionally, the Savien-based Gran Grif gang launched another attack against vulnerable people in the Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite commune on the night of Dec. 10, resulting in a rising death toll, many injuries, kidnappings, houses burned and hundreds of people displaced.

The latest killings add to a grim total of more than 5,000 deaths across Haiti this year, underscoring the urgent need for effective action to restore stability and protect civilians.

Haitian comedian Gaëlle Bien-Aimé commented on X that the situation highlights how a country cannot function on luck. Airlines can’t take unnecessary risks to put their passengers’ and employees’ lives in danger, she explains.

“They shot at the plane once, then a second time, and that’s too much. It’s us [Haitians] who live in chaos, with few choices, and are forced to rely on luck. But no one operates that way, and a country cannot be run like that,” she added.

Jane Guito, a Virginia resident, echoed these sentiments, urging Haitian authorities to act decisively to restore confidence among international carriers. “It’s a difficult decision to accept, especially for those with families in Haiti,” Guito said.

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