William O’Neill, the UN human rights commissioner’s expert on Haiti, said after a recent monitoring trip that the situation in the Caribbean republic is “more dire than ever”. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic to its east. Violent gangs have been running a campaign of terror and encroaching on parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Up to 85% of the city is now reportedly in criminal hands, and O’Neill has said, “the risk of the capital falling under gang control is palpable.”

U.S. EXTENDS HAITI FLIGHT BAN AMID ESCALATING GANG VIOLENCE

The U.S. FAA has extended its ban on flights to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, until September 8, citing escalating gang violence.

The original ban, imposed in November, followed gang gunfire at three commercial… https://t.co/r8kbHTkLjz pic.twitter.com/pDPLVUkdAD

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 12, 2025

Shortage of police and equipment

With rape, murder and arson rife, over one million people in a population of 11 million have been displaced by the violence and are living in camps where they remain vulnerable. Despite the development of a Kenyan-led international police presence in Haiti from June 2024, law enforcement remains inadequate, with less than one officer for every 1,000 citizens. O’Neill has called for the international community to send a further 1,500 police, which he estimates “could have an enormous impact on controlling, dismantling, overpowering the gangs” which at present are acting “with the utmost impunity and, sometimes, as many sources point out, with the complicity of powerful actors.”

A shortage of equipment is also part of the problem, and authorities need helicopters, drones, ground vehicles and fuel to enhance their mobility, as well as night vision goggles and body armour. A voluntary fund currently helps provide supplies, but UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently put forward a Security Council motion to take the funding from the UN budget.

Do Not Travel

The US State Department currently has the highest travel alert, a level four Do Not Travel advisory, in place for Haiti, where it says US citizens have been at risk of “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited health care” since March 2024.

We issue Travel Advisories with Levels 1 – 4. Level 4 means Do Not Travel. This level is assigned based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help there. These places are dangerous and you may be putting yourself at extreme risk by visiting.
The Travel Advisories for… pic.twitter.com/RMT1sgz0WM

— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) March 5, 2025

Attacks can be both random and planned, and officials also warn that “Protests, demonstrations, and roadblocks are common and unpredictable. They often damage or destroy infrastructure and can become violent. Mob killings and assaults by the public have increased, including targeting those suspected of committing crimes. 

L’article US extends Haiti flight ban until September 2025 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

American Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines planes were all targeted on Monday. The first two were departing when attacked and the damage was only discovered after reaching their destinations in Miami and New York respectively.

The Spirit Airlines plane however was fired at while preparing to land. It came less than 200 metres away from the runway, according to tracking website Flightradar24 when it diverted to neighbouring Dominican Republic, where it landed safely at the Cibao International Airport, in Santiago de los Caballeros.

In the latter incident, a flight attendant was reported to have suffered minor injuries, but no passengers were affected. Apart from the FAA ban, the FBI is also investigating the Spirit Airlines case. “The FBI is aware of the incident and working with our law enforcement partners”, the agency said. “As this is an ongoing matter, we don’t have any further comment.”

Issued on 12 November and valid until 12 December, the FAA Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) prohibits US air carriers and commercial operators, all persons exercising the privileges of an airman certificate issued by the FAA, except if they are operating US-registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier, and all operators of civil aircraft registered in the United States, except when the operator is a foreign air carrier, “from operating at altitudes from surface up to but not including 10,000 feet (3,048 metres) in the territory and airspace of Haiti due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing security instability.”

The FAA clarifies that some operations that are authorised either by another agency of the United States government with the approval of the FAA or by a deviation, exemption or other authorisation issued by the FAA administrator are exempt from the ban. Additionally, in an emergency requiring immediate decision and action for the safety of the flight, the pilot in command of an aircraft may deviate from the NOTAM to the extent required by that emergency.

Before the NOTAM was issued, JetBlue had already announced it was suspending its flights to Haiti until 2 December. American Airlines also implemented its own suspension, but opted for a longer halt, until February 2025. “Our daily service between Miami and Port-au-Prince has now been suspended through Feb. 12. We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed”, the carrier said in a statement.

L’article US bans flights to Haiti for a month after gun attacks on 3 aircraft est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

When the uprising started, gang members took over police station, freed over 4,000 inmates from jails and attacked and closed down the Port-au-Prince airport and seaports. While the airport in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien has remained open, people were still stuck in the capital as gangs control the roads and open fire at passing cars and buses.

The first plane to take off from the capital departed with an almost 2-hour delay yesterday. Although passengers reported unbearable conditions as the aircraft’s air conditioning did not function until take-off, they were happy to finally leave the violence drowned country. One passenger was heard saying “Yes, yes” as the plane departed, according to AP News.

The flight was operated by Haitian Sunrise Airways, on a charter plane contracted from Florida-based carrier World Atlantic. While more commercial flights are expected this week, US carriers have not given any indication of restarting operations to Port-au-Prince at least until late May or early June.

The restart of commercial operations provides a much-awaited escape route for people who are eager to flee the country. Although the US government and non-profit organisations have been evacuating hundreds of people by helicopter, thousands more remain. Not only tourists, but locals who were left homeless by the gang attacks, which have caused the death or serious injury of over 2,500 people over the past 3 months, according to the United Nations.

“There are thousands of people who wanted to travel, but for a certain time who could not travel. I have my tent which I had to live in for more than three months. Many people were suffering”, Rosemond Desire told AP Television News.

Besides facilitating the provision of scarce medical supplies to the country, the re-opening of the airport also allows employees to get back to work. Some were still paid for part of the time the airport was closed, but most were left without an income over the past 3 months. “We are scared because they can still attack us here. We must come in. It’s our job, but we’re afraid”, Klav-Dja Raphael, manager of the Couronne Bar near the gate operated yesterday told AP News.

The closure of the airport also prevented former Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning to the country. He was on an official visit to Kenya when the attacks started, the gangs demanded his resignation, promising the violence would stop. He resigned in March, but the riots continued.

A transitional presidential council has been set up and is preparing elections for a new Prime Minister. Kenya, the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Bangladesh have all said they would send police reinforcements to Haiti to oversee the instalment of a new government.

L’article Haiti’s main airport reopens after months of gang violence est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Gang violence has worsened for a while now in Haiti, with the US State Department beginning to warn Americans not to travel to parts of Haiti as of July 2023. The situation escalated even further at the end of February when Prime Minister Ariel Henry was travelling to Kenya in order to seal a deal for a multinational security force and has been continuing ever since. A transitional presidential council has been underway since then but its nine members still haven’t been sworn in as its formation keeps getting delayed.

As airports closed down and flights are being cancelled, cruise operator Royal Caribbean has been taking action as well. Even though Labadee has been a private resort leased by Royal Caribbean since the mid-1980s, Haiti still has jurisdiction over the area.

“The Global Security and Intel Team is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Haiti. The safety and security of our guests, crew and communities we visit are our top priority”, a spokesperson from Royal Caribbean said. “We will continue to monitor and reassess calls as needed, and will communicate updates with guests directly.”

According to the Independent, the cruise line’s affected ships include Allure of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas. Itineraries of those ships will therefore be adapted, with some passengers getting an extra day at sea, while others will head to Royal Caribbean’s private resort in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The turmoil in Haiti has not only touched the tourist industry. According to Unicef, no less than three million children in Haiti are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is being described as a battlefield and several homes are being burnt down by gangs, while some 4,000 prisoners have been released from prison after gangs stormed the premises. Many inhabitants are facing ongoing hunger and, according to the United Nations, 360,000 people have been displaced by violence.

L’article Royal Caribbean cancels cruises to Haiti due to ongoing political turmoil est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

No more port calls to Labadee

Royal Caribbean port calls into Labadee, on Haiti’s idyllic north coast are off for the next seven days, CEO Michael Bayley wrote in a Facebook post, on Thursday 14 March. He said the suspension would be reviewed “on a rolling basis with 3 days advance notification to our guests sailing on itineraries impacted and changed as we monitor and evaluate the situation in Haiti.” 

Insurgency, violent crime and kidnapping

The move comes after a socio-economic crisis and an armed uprising led by notorious gang leader “Barbecue”. The rebellion involved prison breaks and there has been a surge in crime. This situation and the subsequent resignation of the sitting Prime Minister have prompted governments around the world to issue “Do Not Travel” warnings for Haiti. Among the dangers highlighted are the risk of being caught up in the gang insurgency, or being the victim of violent crime or kidnapping.

A marine anti-terrorism squad has been sent to protect the American embassy in Port-au-Prince and the U.S. has warned any citizens already in Haiti to “shelter in place” and take the first opportunity to get out “by commercial or other privately available transportation options”.

However, getting out is not easy, with flights suspended due to airport closures. 

“The safety and security of our guests, crew, and communities we visit are our top priority,” a Royal Caribbean representative told FOX Business, adding, “Our Global Security and Intel Team is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Haiti, and in an abundance of caution, we are temporarily making adjustments to sailings visiting Labadee.” 

Anthony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State has called for “functioning democracy as well as humanitarian and developmental assistance” in Haiti as the only way to end the country’s suffering.

Other troubled itineraries

Cruise companies are also being forced to take avoiding action elsewhere. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas War in October, the Red Sea has been the site of heightened tensions amid hijackings and drone attacks on shipping by Houthis who say they are acting in support of Gaza.

Royal Caribbean is one of those operators who had already made adjustments to its Red Sea itineraries, including its viral “ultimate world cruise” being rerouted to a choice of African destinations.

L’article Royal Caribbean suspends cruises to Labadee amid Haiti uprising est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Armed gang uprising

The country has been rocked since early March by an armed gang rebellion by leader Jimmy Chérizier, aka Barbecue, who has blockaded government buildings, attacked police stations and airports, and broken inmates out of jail.

Chérizier promised at least a temporary end to the rebellion, as long as the country’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned. When that happened on 11 March however, the violence continued. A state of emergency is now in place until 3 April and a curfew is being implemented between 6:00 pm and 5:00 am.

“Unpredictable and dangerous”

Among the countries advising against travel to Haiti are: Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the US, whose Embassy in Haiti called the security situation there “unpredictable and dangerous.” Non-essential staff have been evacuated from EU and US embassies.

Travel is de facto suspended in any case as airports are closed, with operators such as JetBlue and American Airlines yet to announce when flights to Haiti will recommence. One international port is also closed. Cruise operators are yet to announce any adjusted itineraries.

The US State Department noted in an alert released on 10 March that “there are few or no commercial options to depart Haiti safely at this time. As they become available, we urge US citizens to take advantage of them.”

“Shelter in place”

As a result of the lack of escape options, US citizens should “shelter in place” the release said, pointing those in need of help to the US embassy in Port-Au-Prince. The Canadian embassy there is closed.

UK citizens meanwhile are advised to approach the embassy in Santo Domingo, in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. And Irish citizens should contact their embassy in Washington DC.

Violent kidnappings

The US security alert level for Haiti stands at four, which signifies “do not travel”. This is not new. It has been in place since summer 2023. But the political insurgency is an opportunity to remind travellers that violent crime is frequent in Haiti, with kidnappings a particular threat.

“Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens,” the State Department said. “Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked.” 

The alert highlighted that attacks sometimes target people “shortly after leaving the Port-au-Prince international airport” while “robbers and carjackers also attack private vehicles stuck in heavy traffic congestion and often target lone drivers, particularly women.”

Immigration influx

Meanwhile Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has focused on a different perception of the insurgency and its threat to the US. He sent “over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state,” he told press.

“We cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida,” DeSantis said.

L’article Gang uprising leads to renewed travel warnings for Haiti est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.