Haiti’s main international airport reopens nearly three months after gang violence forced it closed

PORT AU PRINCE: Haiti s main international airport reopened Monday for the first time in nearly three months after relentless gang violence forced aut...

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti’s main international airport reopened Monday for the first time in nearly three months after relentless gang violence forced authorities to close it to all traffic in early March.

The reopening of the Toussaint-Louverture airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince is expected to help ease a critical shortage of medications and other basic supplies since the country’s main seaport remains paralyzed.

However, only Sunrise Airways, a local carrier, is flying in and out of Port-au-Prince for now. US-based airlines are not expected to start doing so until late May or early June.

The first flight expected was one from Sunrise Airways bound for Miami and scheduled to depart at 2:30 pm EDT.

Before Monday’s reopening, the sole airport operating in Haiti was the one located in the north coastal city of Cap-Haitien. However, it was out of reach for many seeking to flee the country since the roads leading from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien are controlled by gangs that have opened fire on cars and buses passing through.