Airlanes Stopped From Going to Haiti
Spirit flight hit by gunfire while trying to land in Haiti, taken by Newsweek
By Misi Mapa, November 15th 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a 30-day ban on flights by US airlines to Haiti amid spiraling violence by gangs that have been firing on planes landing in the Caribbean nation's capital of Port-au-Prince. The move came after a serious incident involving a Spirit Airlines jet which was struck by bullets while trying to land, injuring a flight attendant and leading authorities to temporarily close the airport. This happened in early November.
Inspections by other airlines, including JetBlue and American Airlines, showed that their planes too were shot while taking off from the capital. The United Nations, too, has stopped flying to Port-au-Prince because of the hazardous conditions, further entangling already complicated efforts to get much-needed humanitarian aid into a country already facing many barriers.
The surge in violence came on the same day that Haiti swore in its new Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who is trying to impose order on a country overcome by gang control. Reports say that about 85% of Port-au-Prince is controlled by gangs, which makes access to basic services and humanitarian assistance for the people very difficult. Scores of armed clashes and roadblocks documented by the United Nations block food aid delivery, piling up on an already big crisis affecting millions.
With the situation continuously worsening, the need for international support have become louder. There is also a Kenyan police mission deployed in Haiti, which, due to insufficient funding and lack of resources, is utterly at variance with the battle against gang violence. Basic facilities like schools, banks, and government offices in Port-au-Prince have completely shut down, with an increasing sense of fear that the humanitarian crisis will further worsen if immediate concrete steps are not taken by the world community. The aid organizations call for safe access to the areas of operation, calling for increased support to urgent and long-term needs in Haiti, with many of its people suffering from hunger and insecurity. The response
by the international community will go a long way to help get Haiti through this scary and unfortunate period.
