Haitians question a whopping $4.7M Cap-Haïtien airport runway repair, viewing other needs as more urgent

CAP-HAITIEN —  Haiti’s Ministry of Public Works, Transport, and Communication (MTPTC) announced on Dec. 28 that it had launched a runway repair project at Hugo Chávez International Airport in Cap-Haïtien. The initiative, set to cost the government nearly $5 million, has sparked widespread criticism among locals. Many residents say the money could be better spent on constructing a larger airport in the northern capital city or on fixing the deteriorating roads that plague the region following heavy rains last month.

“The real population is not going to benefit from this; they don’t travel. The diaspora will mainly benefit from this,” said Akmann Van-Mary, an entrepreneur and frequent traveler between Cap-Haïtien and the United States.

“The airport runway does need repair, but the roads are undrivable. After someone gets off the plane, it might take them the same amount of time they spent on that plane in a car to reach their final destination within the city,” Van-Mary lamented.

Driving from the airport to Cap-Haïtien’s downtown—typically a 12-minute journey—can take up to two hours due to poor road conditions, including large potholes and mud worsened by heavy rains in recent months. Despite some roadwork in the Petite-Anse, a neighborhood on the outskirts of the downtown area, residents say the city’s overall infrastructure remains neglected.

Critics claim that the airport runway repair initiative reflects a tendency toward temporary solutions to broader systemic problems. The Cap-Haïtien airport, one of Haiti’s two international entry points alongside Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport, is significantly too small. With only two gates, two limited restrooms, and two departure counters, the facility suffers from overcrowding and operational inefficiencies that affect the performance of airlines like Haiti-based carrier Sunrise Airways.

“I don’t think this airport was built for the volume [of passengers] it now receives,” said Sumaiya Sykes-Jadotte, Sunrise Airways’ manager in Cap-Haïtien, during an interview with The Haitian Times as she sat in her office frustrated on a busy Dec. 16.

 “The space is not enough; it’s stressful. There aren’t enough gates, so we have to work faster to keep flights on time.”

Discussions about expanding the airport have circulated for years, but the runway repairs seem to be the only action that the Haitian authorities have taken, leaving many feeling frustrated.

Project details and calls for change

The nearly $5 million runway repair is expected to be completed within seven months. It is being executed by the construction firm COAMCO Haiti under the supervision of Haiti’s National Airport Authority (AAN, its French acronym). Neither the AAN nor officials from Cap-Haïtien International Airport responded to The Haitian Times’ requests for comment on the project details or criticism from residents.

Residents and online commentators have been vocal about their dissatisfaction. Many would prefer resources be allocated toward building a new airport, with Trou-du-Nord’s Madras area frequently cited as a potential site.

Like Van-Mary, other Haitians online said they would rather see the roads and irrigation canals repaired than the airport’s runway.

“We would rather stay concentrated here instead of going to Madras,” commented Bloncourt Augustin sarcastically on Facebook, highlighting the missed opportunity for new infrastructure.

Others pointed to the pressing need for city-wide improvements, particularly in drainage and sanitation. 

“Looking at Okap when it rains, why don’t they clean the irrigation canals, then cover all of them and have a campaign to clean the city and pick up the trash?” wrote Myrlande Augustin, another Facebook user.

The outcry reflects a broader frustration with perceived mismanagement and misplaced priorities in public spending.

With rain-battered roads and an undersized airport causing daily challenges, many Haitians are left asking: What will it take for infrastructure investments to reflect the realities on the ground?

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