San Jose, Mar 4 (AP) The Federal Aviation Administration has extended its ban on US commercial flights to Haiti's capital through Sept 3 over a risk that criminal gangs could target aircraft.
The FAA halted all flights in November after a Spirit Airlines flight was shot at while landing at Port-au-Prince's Toussaint Louverture International Airport. A flight attendant received minor injuries and other commercial planes on the ground were hit.
The FAA said in a notice published on Monday that it was extending the ban “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing instability,” a move that further isolates the capital of the troubled country.
The agency said pilots may deviate from the ban in an emergency requiring immediate action.
Sunrise Airways, a domestic carrier, also halted flights in and out of Port-au-Prince in late November because of a shooting involving a plane, according to the US Embassy.
Those who can afford it fly in and out of Port-au-Prince via helicopters or other private air transportation.
Meanwhile, many Haitians balk at ground transportation because heavily armed gangs control the main roads going in and out of Port-au-Prince and are known for occasionally gang-raping women passing through or randomly opening fire on vehicles.
Gangs control an estimated 90% of Haiti's capital and swaths of land in the country's interior. A majority of those gangs are members of a coalition known as Viv Ansanm, or “Live Together,” which the US government has designated as a terror organisation.
The coalition forced the international airport at Port-au-Prince to close for nearly three months last year after launching coordinated attacks on key government infrastructure. (AP) SCY
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US extends ban on commercial flights to Haiti's capital due to gang violence
PTI
Updated: March 04, 2026 20:04 IST
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
