Haiti, Dominican Republic to reopen direct air links in May
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AFP) — Direct air travel between Haiti and the Dominican Republic will resume in May, the two countries said Friday, more than two years after Santo Domingo closed its airspace to its neighbor due to escalating gang violence.
The resumption of direct flights will help “energise economic ties and reinforce relations,” the Caribbean countries, which share the island of Hispaniola, said in a joint statement.
Haiti — the poorest country in the Americas — has faced a deep security crisis for years, with gangs who control the vast majority of the capital Port-au-Prince committing frequent murders, rapes and kidnappings.
In March 2024, the Dominican Republic closed its airspace to all passenger and cargo flights originating in Haiti, citing the ongoing instability.
Ties have been fraught, and Dominican authorities are building a 174-kilometer (108-mile) concrete wall along the 380-kilometer (236-mile) border.
