Spirit Airlines returned to northern Haiti after a two-month suspension of flights

The first of three major U.S. airlines returns to Haiti. Spirit Airlines said it is resuming daily commercial service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Cap-Haïtien on Friday and passengers can begin booking on spirit.com.

“We are resuming daily flight operations at Cap-Haïtien (CAP) from May 10, 2024, following a thorough assessment and discussions with our security and airport partners,” the airline said in a statement. “The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority.”

Spirit spokesman Michael Lopardi said flights between FLL and Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince remain suspended as the airline evaluates its safety options. Haiti’s capital continues to be under threat from armed gangs who have carried out renewed attacks on a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince in recent days.

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation in Haiti and adjust our schedule as necessary,” Spirit said.

The Dania Beach-based budget airline, along with American Airlines and JetBlue Airways, suspended service to Haiti on March 4 after armed gangs attempted to take over the international airport, staged a prison break at the country’s two largest prisons and vandalized police stations. Although Cap-Haïtien, the country’s second largest city, was spared from the violence in Port-au-Prince, Spirit Airlines has decided to suspend its flights there. That left Sunrise Airways, the Haitian airline, as the only option to fly out of Hugo Chavez International Airport.

The return of Spirit Airlines provides additional options for Haitians who paid more than $900 for a flight from Haiti to the United States. Many of them are beneficiaries of the two-year humanitarian parole program launched a year ago by the Biden administration for nationals of Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.