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American Airlines relaunches daily service between Miami International Airport and Cap-Ha\u00eftien, Haiti on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, with all Haitian, Creole-speaking crew.<\/p>\n
Jacqueline Charles<\/p>\n
jcharles@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Six years after suspending service to Cap-Ha\u00eftien, American Airlines returned to the northern Haitian city on Sunday, restoring daily flights and marking a milestone in the carrier\u2019s decades-long relationship with the Caribbean nation.<\/p>\n
The flight from Miami International Airlines marked American\u2019s 100th destination in Latin American and Caribbean, following its recent resumption of service to Venezuela. But for Haiti, American\u2019s return carried even greater significance.<\/p>\n
The country has been without regular service by a major international airline since late 2024, when gang gunfire in the skies of the capital prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit U.S. commercial carriers from landing at Toussaint Louverture International Airport. Since then, the country has become increasingly isolated even as the smaller Hugo Chavez International Airport in Cap-Ha\u00eftien emerged as the new international gateway amid the escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince and neighboring cities.<\/p>\n
Although Cap-Ha\u00eftien wasn\u2019t covered by the ban, Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines suspended service and never was able to resume before shutting down.<\/p>\n
American Airlines\u2019 return makes the airline the first major U.S. carrier to resume daily since the suspensions to the capital, giving visitors to the country more options in terms of air travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very big step,\u201d American\u2019s Senior Vice President of MIA Operations Juan Carlos Liscano told the Miami Herald. \u201cTelling the world that we are resuming and continuing service to Cap-Ha\u00eftien tells everybody that conditions and things are looking very good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liscano said while there are markets that the carrier flies to and \u201cwe\u2019re very proud of that,\u201d there are some destinations that \u201care very special, near and dear to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haiti is one of them, both because of the airline\u2019s long history with the country \u2013 it\u2019s first flight to Haiti was in 1971 \u2013 and the vibrancy of the Haitian community in South Florida, particularly Miami. This wasn\u2019t lost on speakers at a ceremony the carrier had prior to takeoff.<\/p>\n
That connection was a recurring theme on Sunday during a ceremony at Miami International Airport before departure.<\/p>\n
![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/20261101_090207.jpg\" "\\"20261101_090207.jpg\\"")
American Airlines relaunches daily service between Miami International Airport and Cap-Ha\u00eftien, Haiti on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, with all Haitian, Creole-speaking crew. Jacqueline Charles jcharles@miamieherald.com <\/p>\n
\u201cThanks to American, more of our residents and visitors can travel between Miami and Haiti again,\u201d said Cassandra Arnold, deputy chief of staff to Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Arnold, who was born in Port-au-Prince, said seeing the resumption of flights was personally meaningful to her. Its significance, she said, goes beyond providing residents with travel options to Cap-Ha\u00eftien and the northern coast of Haiti,<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, this launch also represents opportunity, connection and hope for our beautiful Haitian people,\u201d Arnold said.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez and Basil A. Binns II, deputy director for Administration, Business Development, and Retention at the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, described the return as a momentous occasion. Binns said Cap-Ha\u00eftien, affectionately known as Okap, is the latest example of how American continues to lead the way to the world and Miami-Dade was proud to serve as that gateway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know when you connect people, and you connect commerce, you help grow economies,\u201d Binns said. \u201cWe\u2019ve very proud to be part of that connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade\u2019s Haitian community, the largest in the U.S., is a key part of that, said Liscano. He noted that that American intends to also drawn visitors to Haiti from around the United States and intentionally scheduled the Cap-Haitian flight to accommodate passengers connecting through Miami.<\/p>\n
The aircraft that was used to operate Sunday\u2019s flight, for example, flew in from Atlanta. As passengers disembarked and walked out in the gate area, they seemed bewildered at the flurry of activities unfolding. There were red and white balloons, konpa music and a festive atmosphere at guests posed for photos in front of an American Airlines sign. They also posed for photos with the crew, which was about to make history of its own.<\/p>\n
The inaugural flight was operated by an all-Haitian, Creole-speaking crew, underscoring the Haitian community\u2019s growth both in the United States, and within American Airlines. The all Haitian and Creole-speaking crew was the idea of pilot Oliver Jean, a Haiti-born pilot, Liscano said.<\/p>\n
There was a lot of emotion, said Jean, who has flown countless flights during his 29-year career. Sunday\u2019s flight, however, was like no other.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first time I\u2019m going to operate an airplane with an all-Haitian crew,\u201d he said, noting that he will be delivering his announcements \u201cnot only in English but also in Creole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what\u2019s important for me, to ensure that the passengers feel comfortable inside the aircraft,\u201d Jean added in Creole.<\/p>\n
Born in Port-au-Prince, Jean had been scheduled to fly to Port-au-Prince a week after the airline suspended its daily service between Miami International Airport and Toussaint Louverture International Airport in November 2024. The carrier was among three U.S. carriers that were struck by gang gunfire as they all few over Port-au-Prince\u2019s airspace. The incident prompted American, JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines to all suspend service. A Federal Aviation Administration ban prohibited landings at the facility, which remains in effect, made that suspension almost indefinite.<\/p>\n
![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/20261101_085731.jpg\" "\\"20261101_085731.jpg\\"")
American Airlines relaunches daily service between Miami International Airport and Cap-Ha\u00eftien, Haiti on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, with all Haitian, Creole-speaking crew. Jacqueline Charles jcharles@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
For travelers, the loss of commercial service has meant fewer options, higher fares and at times unpredictably as local companies try to fill the void with chartered aircraft that aren\u2019t always available when needed, forcing last minute scheduled changes.<\/p>\n
Jimmy Louis, 70, who was flying with his two children, last flew to Haiti two years ago.<\/p>\n
As he waited to board, he yelled out, \u201cDon\u2019t ever leave us again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI missed Haiti, I missed my country,\u201d he later told a reporter. He noted the flying home had become an expensive and often unreliable endeavor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI missed American,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you travel on American Airlines \u2026they are not going to leave you wherever you are; if they don\u2019t come, they send you to the hotel. That\u2019s American.\u201d<\/p>\n
First-time visitor to Haiti, Kate Dowling, said she was excited to visit the country. Dowling, who works from the Los-Angeles-based nonprofit Lid\u00e8 Haiti, was headed down with a colleague to interview female executive directors. The organization works with girls and women in Haiti.<\/p>\n
Also traveling was Haiti Consul General Yverick Delerme Cyril. He saluted the decision by American Airline to resume the flights and said the government of Haiti was working on its security crisis in order for the main airport in Port-au-Prince could also see a return of international commercial flights.<\/p>\n
The return to Cap-Ha\u00eftien, Cyril said, was more than a flight. It symbolized the strengthening of ties between Haiti and South Florida. Miami, he said, holds a special place in the heart of Haitians, and sits at the crossroads between the country and its diaspora.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor thousands of Haitian families this connection is essential,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s bringing families together, facilitating business, opportunities and strengthen the bond between Haiti and its diaspora.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liscano, the American Airlines executive, said a lot of variables went into the decision to resume service, including current market conditions.<\/p>\n
Aside from the historical significance of the landing of AA flight 2492 in Cap-Ha\u00eftien, he said, there is something else. It represents, \u201cthe restoring of connection between families and loved ones, between friends and communities, and between businesses and economies; between two places that have incredibly deep ties to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere in South Florida, we understand how important this connection is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n