Airlines suspend flights between Haiti and South Florida amid escalating violence

Airlines ranging from one of the world’s largest to scrappy discount carriers canceled flights between South Florida and Haiti on Monday in response to a worsening situation there that has alarmed the White House and led to a new security alert to U.S. citizens issued by the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

American Airlines suspended service between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) through Wednesday “as a result of civil unrest,” said Bri Harper, a spokeswoman, in a statement. The carrier has a daily departure and arrival.

“We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” she said.

JetBlue Airways canceled flights on Monday. It has daily service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port-au-Prince. The decision was due to “recent civil unrest”,” said senior manager of corporate communications Derek Dombrowski in a statement. “We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the U.S. Embassy and our team in Haiti to determine next steps.”

Arrivals from and departures to Port-au-Prince from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Azul from were all canceled according the airport flight tracker.

On Monday afternoon, Spirit Airlines, which also flies out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, suspended flights to and from Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien through March 6, spokeswoman Nicole Aguiar said in a statement. The carrier is “closely monitoring the situation and will adjust our schedule as needed.” It suggested passengers regularly consult its website at spirit.com/flight-status. for updates.

On Sunrise Airways’ website, a search for flights between Miami and Haiti came up empty. That carrier had started flying between the two places last year. The company did not immediately respond to request for information or comment.

In recent days, the country’s armed gangs have ramped up attacks on critical infrastructure including an assault against a police academy on Sunday. This comes after they took control of several police substations and are threatening to take over the presidential palace - a dramatic escalation in violence in what has already been a dire security environment that has paralyzed the Caribbean nation ever since the assassination of its president in 2021.

Late Sunday, Haiti finance minister and acting Prime Minister Patrick Boisvert declared a 6 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew and a state of emergency for the next 72 hours so security forces can try to regain control of the situation.

The airlines operating between South Florida and Haiti have not said what they will do beyond Monday.

“Right now, we are monitoring to see what’s best,” said Harper, the American spokeswoman.

The airline also issued a travel alert that includes information such as whether passengers have to pay to change their tickets.

American also advised passengers to check upcoming flights status on the carrier’s smartphone app or website.

JetBlue advised passengers to check the company website for info on fee waivers and upcoming flights status.

Miami Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles contributed to this report.