Haiti's first domestic flight takes off since gangs halted commercial air travel last year

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti's first commercial flight in seven months took off Thursday from the capital and headed to the northern city of Cap-Haitien, where excited passengers hoped to reunite with friends, relatives and business associates.

The Sunrise Airways flight of 19 passengers was the first such flight departing from Port-au-Prince since gang violence halted the airport's operations in November. So far, only domestic flights are resuming, with no timetable yet for international ones.

''It's been over a year since I've traveled,'' James Jean-Charles said. ''The country is infested with gangs. You can't go by road.''

Jean-Charles, 41, smiled wide when he explained he was going to visit his parents and cousins in the coastal city after struggling to stay in touch with them via phone because of poor connectivity.

Inside the Guy Malary terminal, which is used for domestic flights, people gathered around a restaurant serving coffee, goat, chicken and plantains.

Awaiting Sunrise Airway's second flight of the day was Garry Jean-Pierre, a computer technician.

''I finally found a way to get there and not lose the contracts I had,'' he said of his upcoming trip to Cap-Haitien.

It's been a year since he last visited, but it never crossed his mind to travel by road, where gang members are known to open fire randomly on vehicles.

''I would not take the risk,'' he said. ''You don't know when they'll decide to kill.''

Outside the Guy Malary terminal, the parking lot was packed with cars as workers hauled luggage and men working in the black market exchanged U.S. dollars and Haitian gourdes.

''This is very good,'' said taxi driver Marc Jean-Baptiste as he observed people bustling. ''I couldn't properly care for my family.''

He said he hoped that international flights to Port-au-Prince would restart soon, but that's unlikely to happen.

The Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince closed in mid-November for the second time last year after gangs opened fire on a Spirit Airlines flight as it prepared to land, striking a flight attendant who suffered minor injuries.

Other commercial planes were hit that day, prompting Spirit, JetBlue and American Airlines to cancel their flights to Port-au-Prince. None of those flights have resumed.

While the main international airport reopened in December, there were no commercial flights operating until Thursday.

The resumption of domestic flights marks a rare success in Haiti's fight against gangs that control at least 85% of Port-au-Prince.

A powerful gang federation previously forced the main international airport to close for nearly three months in early 2024.