American Airlines resumes commercial flights to Haiti

Miami Herald Staff Report

American Airlines on Friday morning resumed commercial flights to Haiti as the first major carrier to restart paid flights into the ravaged capital.

American will offer three flights a day directly to Port-au-Prince: one from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and two from Miami International. American also will fly from New York’s JFK airport four times a week.

“All of us at American Airlines and American Eagle have been eager to restore our normal operations into Haiti,” Peter Dolara, American’s senior vice president — Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a statement.

“These flights serve as major milestones toward helping the country rebuild. With commercial air service restored, we can better connect loved ones and provide consistent transportation to and from Haiti,” he added.

Ralph Latortue, consul general of Haiti in Florida, said in a statement: “We have begun our journey to recover from the catastrophic earthquake, but with support from companies like American Airlines, we hope it won’t be nearly as long.”

The day after the Jan. 12 earthquake, American Airlines officials said the company flew 30 missions into Haiti, bringing relief workers, medical personnel and more than 400,000 pounds of humanitarian aid. They also evacuated more than 700 people from the country.

Friday’s first flight from Miami International Airport departed about 6:40 a.m. and landed about 8:30 a.m. at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport.

It is the first commercial flight into Port-au-Prince since the Jan. 12 earthquake, according to American Airlines officials.

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