JetBlue to extend flight ban on a country after plane hit with gunfire

A spokesperson said the airline 'made the decision to suspend all flights.'

Mar 7, 2025 - 19:25

JetBlue to extend flight ban on a country after plane hit with gunfire

With Haiti rocked by ongoing gang fights and different militant groups trying to seize control of the government, several U.S.-based airlines recently witnessed the violence in the most direct way.

On Nov. 11 a Spirit Airlines (SAVE) plane flying into Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport from Fort Lauderdale was hit with gunfire while attempting to land.

While the gunfire only grazed the surface of the planes and did not result in any injuries, JetBlue Airways (JBLU) and American Airlines (AAL) also found bullet grazings on some of their aircraft before both airlines and the FAA issued an emergency stop on all flights into Haiti.

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'We have made the decision to suspend all flights'

While the FAA ban for U.S. airlines is set to expire on March 12, JetBlue just confirmed that it would not be resuming its Haiti flights until at least midyear.

“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our customers and crew members," a JetBlue spokesperson confirmed to the Miami Herald on March 5. "Due to the ongoing civil arrest in Haiti, we have made the decision to suspend all flights to and from the country through at least June 11, 2025."

As is typical in such situations, the airline added that it "will continue to monitor the situation closely and update [its] plans as necessary."

While Spirit and American are yet to offer similar comment on extending the flight ban, neither has been running its few flights to Port-au-Prince from Florida during the past three months. And they're unlikely to resume in the near future as the violence continues and the area around the airport is unsecured against shootouts by gang militias.

'The airport can be a focal point for armed activity': State Department

"The airport in Port-au-Prince can be a focal point for armed activity," the U.S. State Department wrote in a recently-updated travel advisory. "Armed robberies are common. Carjackers attack private vehicles stuck in traffic. They often target lone drivers, especially women."

The majority of Americans who had been flying into Port-au-Prince before the recent spike in violence were members of the Haitian diaspora and those with family in the country. In addition, a small number of tourists come by cruise ship and stop at Labadee, a gated resort owned by Royal Caribbean (RCL) that is a six-hour drive from the capital.

The cruise ship giant first started leasing the port from the Haitian government in the 1980s. Over the years RCL purchased it outright and invested tens of millions into developing it as a gated community.

More on travel:

Royal Caribbean suspended stops to Labadee in September 2024. After restarting some itineraries with trips there, it's now slated to slowly start bringing them back in 2025.

The isolated nature of the port keeps it protected from anything going on in the rest of Haiti, but Royal Caribbean has still been adjusting its cruising schedule in response to passenger concerns and the PR problem created by taking cruisers to a country that's subject to the State Department's "do not travel" ranking.