By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it was extending prohibitions barring U.S. flights to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince through September 8, citing risks from armed gangs to civil aviation.
In November, the FAA temporarily halted all flights to Haiti but later allowed U.S. flights to resume to six airports in northern Haiti after three U.S. commercial jetliners were struck by gunfire. The restrictions had been set to expire Wednesday.
The agency last year allowed American carriers and general aviation pilots to resume flights to six airports in Haiti: Port-de-Paix, Cap-Haitien, Pignon, Jeremie, Antoine-Simon and Jacmel.
The FAA said on Tuesday that armed gangs continue to control large portions of the capital and have used small arms to fire on civilian aircraft, helicopters and airports that damaged multiple aircraft and injured an air crew member.
The FAA said Haitian gangs “possess small arms, including high-caliber rifles and machine guns, posing risks primarily to aircraft on the ground, during low-altitude flight operations
and during the approach/departure phases of flight.”
U.S. planes can transit over Port-au-Prince above 10,000 feet (3,048 m).
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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