Overview:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extended its ban on U.S. flights to Port-au-Prince until March 2026, citing gang threats to civil aviation. While regional airports remain open, Haitians face financial strain and longer travel routes as the capital stays cut off.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it is extending restrictions barring flight from the U.S. to Port-au-Prince until March 7, 2026, citing the threat armed groups pose to civil aviation in Haiti’s capital.

The decision keeps Haiti’s main city cut off from American carriers for another year, forcing travelers to rely on costly detours through regional airports or neighboring countries.

The FAA first imposed the ban in November 2024 after gunfire struck three American planes attempting to land in Port-au-Prince. While flights later resumed to Cap-Haitien, the second largest city, and five other airports around Haiti, the capital has remained off-limits. Officials said armed groups now control nearly 90% of Port-au-Prince and its surrounding roads, making conditions too dangerous for commercial carriers.

Since the ban, major U.S. airlines, including American, Spirit and JetBlue, have suspended flights indefinitely. 

The restrictions leave Cap-Haitien’s Hugo Chavez International Airport and Les Cayes’s Antoine Simon International Airport as the only options for direct commercial flights from the U.S. Operated as they are by Sunrise Airways and other smaller carriers, they cannot replace the volume of travel through Toussaint Louverture International Airport, a primary hub that millions of travelers rely on for business, family reunification and medical reasons.

Diplomatic efforts to restore service have been slow. Earlier this year, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Dennis Hankins met with Réginald Guignard, director of the National Office of Civil Aviation, to discuss securing the airport perimeter. For now, the airport remains open only to military and diplomatic flights, including those tied to the Kenya-led multinational mission preparing to deploy against Haiti’s armed groups.

The FAA said it will continue to monitor security conditions before making another decision, but until then, Haitians seeking to travel abroad will have to pass through Cap-Haïtien, Dominican Republic or the Bahamas—an added financial and logistical burden during the country’s deepening crisis.

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