A view of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, foreground, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Commercial flights in and out of the airport were suspended in early March 2024 when armed groups targeted the facility and nearby domestic airport. They were suspended again in November after gangs fired on three U.S. airplanes.
jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com
A domestic flight was struck by bullets on Sunday while landing at the Guy Malary terminal of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, sources told the Miami Herald.
The aircraft, operated by Sunrise Airways, was arriving from Les Cayes in the country’s southwest region. No injuries were reported.
The airline immediately suspended all arriving and departing flights to and from Port-au-Prince until further notice. It did not, however, say why flights were being grounded.
A spokesperson for the airline did not immediately respond to a Miami Herald inquiry, nor did a spokesman for the Haitian national police.
In its statement, Haitian-owned Sunrise Airways said flights were being grounded “for strictly security-related reasons.”
“This decision was made in order to protect our passengers, crews and operations, given the current security situation,” Sunrise Airways’ said. “We are closely monitoring developments in coordination with the relevant authorities and will resume operations as soon as conditions allow.
“The safety of our passengers and employees remains the company’s top priority. No risks will be taken until all conditions are fully met to operate safely,” the company added.
According to sources, the aircraft was struck during its final approach.
The incident comes on the heels of an uptick in attacks by the Viv Ansanm gang coalition in the last week, in response to intensive police operations. In response, gang members set up barricades across the capital and launched attacks near the port. There are also reports of infighting among coalition members over extortion checkpoints.
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Haiti has been under a ban by the Federal Aviation Administration since November 2024 when criminal gangs fired upon three U.S. carriers as they flew over the capital. The ban allows U.S. planes and those operated by U.S. licensed pilots to transit over Port-au-Prince above 10,000 feet, but they cannot land at the airport. In September, the ban was extended until March 7, 2026.
Carriers from Canada and France have also followed suit and earlier this year, American Airlines quietly shut down its operations after 50 years of servicing the country.
The incident is a huge setback for the government, which was trying to provide a sense of normalcy for travelers trying to access the capital, whose only options were to risk their lives on public buses through gang controlled roads or pay for an expensive helicopter ride.
After suspending domestic airlines services last year because of the escalating gang violence, Sunrise Airways resumed operations in June after reaching an agreement with the government over a financial assistance package. Despite the resumption, there were no visible signs of improvements to the security situation near the airport. As late as last month, security analysts warned that violent criminal activity in Port-au-Prince and particularly in the vicinity of the airport poses a security risk.
In addition to its domestic operations, Sunrise Airways operates regular service between Mami and Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city. Earlier this month, South Florida-based IBC Airways also launched a commercial service between Miami and the city of Les Cayes in southern, Haiti.
This story was originally published November 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM.
