Zed Airlines suspends flights after gunfire hits planes near Haiti’s capital

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Zed Airlines, a  Haiti-based company that flies passengers mostly between Port-au-Prince and Brazil, suspended all flights after two of its aircraft were struck by gunfire while trying to land in Toussaint Louverture International Airport. No injuries were reported.

In a statement released after the Jan. 25 incident, Zed said the attacks constituted a force majeure event. Citing serious safety concerns for passengers and crew, it said the suspension would remain in effect indefinitely — pending official instructions and security assessments and aligns with international aviation safety standards and its legal obligations as a commercial operator. 

“This decision is taken as a precautionary measure,” Zed’s management said.

Authorities have not released details on the extent of damage to the aircraft, which are operated by Aero Regional, an Ecuadorian airline. 

The suspension makes Zed Airlines, headquartered in Delmas, the latest carrier to halt service to Haiti’s capital as armed gangs continue to disrupt air travel in recent years. The move further isolates Port-au-Prince, deepens Haiti’s transportation crisis, and reinforces concerns that the country’s main airport is still not secure for commercial operations.

In a joint statement issued Jan. 26, Haiti’s National Civil Aviation Office (OFNAC) and the National Airport Authority (AAN) condemned the attack and said emergency protocols were immediately activated.

Emergency and rescue teams were deployed, and technical crews began assessing the situation, the agencies said. National security authorities were alerted, and an investigation is underway. The perpetrators have not been identified.

“OFNAC and the AAN strongly condemn this act, which endangers the lives of passengers and crew members and compromises the security of Haitian airspace.”

Growing risks in the capital’s airways

Zed is one of the few carriers that continued operating international commercial flights from Haiti, offering service between Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien and Brazil. The airline has played a key role in transporting Haitians admitted under Brazil’s family reunification program. According to its company site, Zed also operates charter flights serving primarily Haitian, Brazilian and Dominican passengers.

The incident occurred amid ongoing clashes between armed gangs and security forces in neighborhoods surrounding Toussaint Louverture International Airport, located in the Cul-de-Sac Plain—an area where several gang strongholds are entrenched.

In November 2025, an aircraft operated by Sunrise Airways were struck while flying from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince, prompting the local airline to temporarily suspend flights to the capital.

Earlier incidents involving JetBlue and American Airlines, whose planes were hit by gunfire while on the tarmac in 2024, led the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to suspend commercial flights to Haiti. The agency has since extended it multiple times. The first extension was considered for easing in September after an initial decision from March 2025. 

The most recent extension runs through March 7, citing worsening security conditions around Port-au-Prince.

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