The United States has extended restrictions on flights into Haiti’s capital because of escalating gang violence, even as the Trump administration continues deporting Haitians to the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended its prohibition on U.S. commercial and civilian flights operating below 10,000 feet over Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas until March 2, 2027. The restriction reflects continuing concerns that armed groups could target aircraft.
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The ban was first introduced after gunmen fired on a Spirit Airlines aircraft approaching Toussaint Louverture International Airport in November 2025, injuring a flight attendant and damaging aircraft. The FAA has renewed the restriction several times as security conditions have deteriorated.
The latest decision underscores the severity of the security situation in the capital, where gangs are estimated to control about 70 per cent of Port-au-Prince and areas beyond the city. Haitian police and a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force are attempting to regain control of gang-held territory.
Despite the aviation restrictions, the United States has continued sending deportation flights to Haiti. Because Port-au-Prince’s main airport is considered too dangerous for U.S. commercial operations, recent deportees have been flown to Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti. More than 160 people arrived there on a U.S. deportation flight in August following the end of TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
The continued deportations have drawn criticism from humanitarian and immigration advocates, who argue that returning Haitians while violence remains widespread exposes vulnerable people to serious risks. The United Nations reported that nearly 200,000 people had been forcibly returned to Haiti during the first eight months of 2026, exceeding the total for all of 2025.
Haiti is also facing a broader humanitarian crisis. Gang violence has displaced roughly 1.5 million people, while thousands have been killed this year, adding pressure on already limited humanitarian and security resources.
The situation has created a striking contradiction: the United States considers conditions around Port-au-Prince dangerous enough to restrict its civilian aircraft, while continuing to use flights to return Haitian nationals to the country through other airports.
With gang violence showing little sign of easing, the opposing policies are likely to remain a source of controversy as Haiti struggles with insecurity, displacement and preparations for long-delayed national elections.
