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Overview:
Panama has suspended all flights to and from Haiti, further isolating the country as gang violence worsens. Local airline Sunrise Airways, which mainly operates in Cap-Haïtien and has been nearly single-handedly connecting Haiti internationally since last fall, confirmed the ban following the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s extension of flight restrictions to Port-au-Prince until March 2026. These measures reflect increasing regional concern over Haiti’s declining security, with nearly 90% of the capital controlled by gangs, ongoing attacks on provincial towns and over 3,000 deaths reported in 2025 alone.
PORT-AU-PRINCE— Panama has suspended all flights to and from Haiti, Sunrise Airways announced Monday, further isolating the country as it struggles with deepening gang violence and political instability.
“Following the decision of the Panamanian authorities, all flights to and from Panama are canceled until further notice,” Sunrise Airways said Sept. 22 in a statement posted on X. The airline added that affected passengers would be contacted with options for refunds or rescheduling. Other international flights operated by Sunrise remain unaffected.
Panama’s government has not issued a public explanation for the decision, but the move comes as regional and international partners tighten restrictions on travel to Haiti due to escalating insecurity.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extended its ban on flights between the United States and the Haitian capital until March 7, 2026, citing safety risks after gunfire struck three U.S.-bound planes in late 2024. The FAA first grounded commercial flights last November, and this month’s extension keeps Haiti cut off from American carriers for at least another six months.
Together, the FAA and Panama measures mark a new setback for Haitian travelers, many of whom rely on Panama’s Tocumen International Airport as a hub for reaching the rest of the Americas and the Caribbean. With American, Canadian, French and now Panamanian routes suspended, Haitians face shrinking options for international air travel.
Haiti’s growing isolation as international talks continue
The latest restrictions highlight how Haiti’s spiraling insecurity is reshaping migration and travel across the region. Nearly 90% of Port-au-Prince remains under gang control, according to United Nations estimates. Gang violence has displaced more than 1.3 million people since 2024 and has killed over 3,000 in 2025 alone.
Recent attacks include a Sept. 11 massacre in Cabaret’s Labodrie— a seaside fishing community located in the Arcahaie district about 20 miles north of Port-au-Prince— that left more than 50 people dead and scores of families displaced. This is an addition to recent killings in Kenscoff, Artibonite’s Liancourt and Kanpenyen and Northwest’s Bassin-Bleu, where gunmen torched police stations, hospitals, homes and farms. Haiti’s National Police (PNH) and the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), deployed since June last year, continue to struggle with limited manpower and resources.
The collapse of commercial air travel is also straining humanitarian access. Aid groups report that restrictions make it harder to rotate staff and transport supplies into Port-au-Prince, where displaced families face food shortages and a collapsing health system.
The suspension comes as world leaders debate the next steps to address Haiti’s worsening crisis. At a high-level meeting Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Kenyan President William Ruto, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Haitian Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) President Laurent Saint-Cyr renewed calls for urgent U.N. authorization of a proposed 5,500-strong Gang Suppression Force (GSF).
“Following the decision of the Panamanian authorities, all flights to and from Panama are canceled until further notice.”
Sunrise Airways
The force, backed by more than 30 countries, mainly from the Americas, would be tasked with breaking gang territorial control, securing critical infrastructure and supporting a transition back to democratic governance.
However, despite broad support, the U.N. Security Council has yet to approve the deployment.
“Unfortunately, the adoption of this resolution is not a done deal,” Landau said of the joint U.S.-Panama proposal to transform the MSs into the GSF. “ Despite overwhelming support of the UN Security Council, there are still those who might try to prevent its adoption or slow our response in Haiti’s hour of need. The time for action is now, and the United States asks all our partners to join us in pressing for this critical resolution before the MSS mission mandate expires on Oct. 2,” the U.S. diplomat added.
Ruto warned that Kenya would commit additional personnel only if the mission is backed by predictable U.N. funding.
“Haiti’s security crisis calls for immediate assistance and a well-coordinated transition,” Ruto said. “The biggest challenge has been logistics and support. Without that, the next mission will face the same failures.”
Saint-Cyr, in New York with a 30-member delegation, urged the international community to act swiftly. He is expected to address the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 25.
“The international community must stand up for the people of Haiti,” Ruto added, echoing Saint-Cyr. “The gangs are cowards, hiding behind guerrilla tactics. This crisis demands urgent global action.”