Dominican Republic and Haiti to reopen airspace in May, restoring flights after more than 2 years

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The governments of the Dominican Republic and Haiti have agreed to reopen their airspace starting in May, allowing flights between their countries for the first time in more than two years.

The decision, announced Friday in a joint statement, clears the way for connections between three Dominican airports and one serving Haiti’s northern port city of Cap-Haïtien.

The Dominican Republic closed its airspace with Haiti in March 2024, citing the high levels of insecurity in the neighboring nation following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. It only permitted humanitarian flights.

The countries share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. In the months before the airspace closure, bilateral relations had been severely strained due to the conflict sparked by the construction of an irrigation canal by Haitian businessmen, fed by the Massacre River, which is shared by both countries. The Dominican Republic opposed the project, arguing that the construction would have negative environmental impacts and harm agricultural producers in both nations.

Friday’s decision followed bilateral talks focused primarily on border control and surveillance, migration and trade.

“This measure seeks to facilitate mobility, boost economic ties and strengthen relations between both countries,��� according to the joint statement issued after a meeting between foreign ministers Roberto Álvarez of Dominican Republic and Raina Forbin of Haiti.

The statement also thanked the international community, particularly the United Nations, for supporting Haitian authorities in their efforts to pacify the country.