A 30-day restriction issued by the Federal Aviation Administration last week after gunfire struck a Spirit Airlines plane as it attempted to land in Port-au-Prince continues to affect all travel between the U.S. and Haiti, including critical assistance missions.
As the chief program officer for Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit that fights poverty, Linda Thelemaque frequently visits the southern city of Les Cayes. She claimed that the Caribbean country, where gang violence already makes ground transportation between cities all but impossible, is now experiencing a logistical nightmare due to the inability to fly in supplies.
According to Thelemaque, gang violence has become a major problem for us, effectively cutting off ground transportation. We are also dealing with higher expenses and delivery delays for necessary goods, including medication valued at $10 million, as a result of the flights being delayed.
Thelemaque’s flight was canceled on November 19, the day she was scheduled to travel to Haiti for work. Most airlines are rearranging flights for February, she added, despite the FAA’s announcement that the embargo will end on December 12.
Additionally, humanitarian aid operations have been impeded by the FAA restriction. With flights grounded, we are obliged to look into costly alternatives, such as chartering flights or requesting humanitarian exemptions, as we depend on Sunrise Airways to deliver goods from Port-au-Prince to the south, she said.
Following a second incident affecting flight 819 from Port-au-Prince to Miami last week, American Airlines announced in a statement to NBC News that it had banned its daily flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince until February 12, 2025. Although there were no reported injuries during the flight’s safe landing in Miami, a post-flight check showed that the outside of the aircraft had been hit by a bullet.
The U.S. State Department has warned against visiting Haiti because of the country’s high rates of crime, civil upheaval, kidnapping, and poor health care prior to the FAA’s ban announcement. According to the government, there has been an increase in violence against both airports and drivers.
As the Caribbean nation’s government collapsed in March, rising gang violence and instability reached a breaking point. When armed gangs took over the streets, many Port-au-Prince residents’ lives were disrupted, and the price of basic products and petrol increased. According to Thelemaque, prices are being passed on to customers, making it more and more difficult to make ends meet.
According to Yolette Williams, CEO of the Haitian American Alliance of New York, Haitians residing in the United States have been emotionally impacted by the nation’s protracted turmoil.
“Even though we live far away from Haiti, we still have a strong connection,” she remarked. Families are grieving needless deaths and are engrossed in the news of increasing violence.
In this predominantly Catholic and Christian nation, the flight restriction is also upsetting long-standing holiday customs. In addition to being New Year’s Day, January 1st is also Haitian Independence Day, which is commemorated with parades, fireworks, and dancing.
According to Williams, many Haitians plan their holidays for December in order to spend more time with their loved ones. That opportunity has now been lost.
Williams pointed out that the prohibition further isolates Haitians by extending beyond Port-au-Prince to airports across the nation. People could go to Cap-Ha tien or Les Cayes even when there were continuing crises. She claimed that now the entire nation feels closed.
Via the Dominican Republic, which shares the island with Haiti, one can also enter Haiti. U.S. permanent residents who had Haitian passports frequently passed via the DR, but the country has closed its borders with Haiti because of the violence.
According to Williams, Haitian passport holders are not allowed admission even if a flight diverts to the Dominican Republic. A few travelers were forced to go back to Europe or another location.
Over 20,000 people left their houses in Port-au-Prince over the course of four days in November, according to the U.N., and relocated to smaller communities. Cities like Les Cayes have seen a strain on their resources as a result.
According to Thelemaque, the flood of displaced people is overburdening clinics and fostering animosity between the locals and the newcomers.
Citing a recent poll conducted by Haitian-led organizations, Williams underlined the country’s worsening mental health crisis. According to her, people’s emotional health is suffering as a result of the ongoing trauma caused by gang violence.
According to her, tension persists even among people in less afflicted places. “You worry about being next whether you’re in Cap-Ha-tien or Les Cayes,” Williams added. The travel ban merely serves to exacerbate the widespread trauma.
Williams and Thelemaque concur that the FAA prohibition highlights the pressing need to address Haiti’s worsening situation even though it is required for safety.
“We’re making every effort to adjust,” Thelemaque stated. The people we serve depend on us to establish new supply routes or secure humanitarian exemptions.
Williams urged further advocacy. “There are a lot of obstacles, but the diaspora wants to help,” she said. We need to address the underlying causes of this violence in addition to its urgent needs.
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