CARIBBEAN · TRANSPORT

Dominican Republic and Haiti Resume Commercial Flights After Two-Year Gap. (Photo Internet reproduction)

Commercial flights between the Dominican Republic and Haiti resumed over the weekend after more than two years grounded by Haiti’s security crisis. The reopening, limited for now to the northern city of Cap-Haïtien, marks a step toward restoring regional connectivity and bilateral economic exchange, though its immediate reach is narrow.

What the flight resumption involves

Haiti’s foreign ministry announced the resumption of commercial passenger and cargo air operations with the Dominican Republic from May 30, with flights operating through Cap-Haïtien International Airport. The government said the measure would allow the movement of people and the restoration of economic exchange between the two countries.

The reopening reconnects Cap-Haïtien with Dominican airports, ending a period in which only humanitarian flights and evacuations had operated under the supervision of Dominican civil-aviation and defence authorities.

Why the flights were suspended

The Dominican Republic suspended all commercial flights to and from Haiti on March 1, 2024, after a wave of gang violence reached the area of the capital’s airport, damaging aircraft and installations and forcing Dominican airlines to halt operations abruptly.

Since then, those with greater means had relied on private planes or helicopters at prices inaccessible to most of the population, leaving the two neighbours, which share the island of Hispaniola, with sharply reduced air connectivity.

How the reopening was agreed

The resumption was agreed on April 17 during a meeting between Dominican foreign minister Roberto Álvarez and his Haitian counterpart, Raina Forbin, at the Codevi industrial park on the shared northern border. Both sides stressed the importance of restoring communication and transport links to normalize relations and ease the flow of people and goods.

The two governments thanked the United Nations for the logistical and security support provided to Haitian institutions, which they described as decisive in making the air operations viable. Cap-Haïtien was chosen because it offers more stable security conditions than Port-au-Prince.

A limited reach for now

The practical impact is limited at the outset. Operations touch only Cap-Haïtien, the country’s second city, while Toussaint Louverture in Port-au-Prince, though formally open, continues to operate under restrictions because of persistent violence and the presence of armed groups in the capital.

Airlines that serve Haiti from the Dominican Republic had no flights scheduled in the days immediately after the reopening, a Haitian security source told the news agency EFE. The carriers that previously offered the service were Sunrise Airways and Air Century, while the US Federal Aviation Administration has extended its ban on flights to the Port-au-Prince airport.

Why it matters for the region

Authorities framed the reopening as a way to strengthen bilateral communication, boost trade and ease mobility for citizens with family, work and commercial ties across the border. They also presented it as a meaningful step for the region’s aviation and tourism sectors after a prolonged period of restrictions.

The move forms part of bilateral dialogue resumed by the two countries on April 17 to address shared issues including border control, migration and commerce, and it signals a gradual, if cautious, normalization of relations on the island.