airport - Haiti Observer Blog

In the list of 10 worst airports of 2015 prepared by CNN, Haiti ranks sixth. Nigerian 'Port Harcourt International Airport' comes on the top of the list, followed by, (ii) King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), (iii) Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal), (iv) Tashkent International Airport (Uzbekistan), (v) Simon Bolivar International Airport (Caracas, Venezuela), (vi) Toussaint Louverture International Airport (Port au Prince, Haiti), (vii) Hamid Karzai International Airport (Kabul, Afghanistan), (viii) Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), (ix) Benazir Bhutto International Airport (Islamabad, Pakistan) and (x) Beauvais-Tille International Airport (Paris).

The excellence of an airport depends mainly on 4C's: comfort, conveniences, cleanliness and customer service. Some of the voters participated in the poll had suggested that the Nigerian airport could also win the title of most corrupt airport in the world. Saudi airport is well known for its long queues, chaotic, grimy ambiance, particularly within the Hajj terminal. Voters revealed their poor experience with the Nepalese airport. With its pothole runways and irregular flight schedules, it resembles nothing more than a bus station. Lack of upgrades and renovation has put Tashkent and Kabul airports at number four and seven. The voters have reported Venezuelan airport as uncomfortable, chaotic, dull and lacks passenger amenities. They consider Port au Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport is uncomfortably hot, bathrooms are dirty, absence of chairs makes the floor space as the only resting option and don't expect any good quality of food here. The ranking of Vietnamese airport has come down recently because of its corrupted staff. The Pakistani airport has to work hard to improve its quality of facilities and service offered. The French airport has received grievances from voters because of absence of proper seating facilities, sufficient toilets, hygienic standards and kind staff.

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New Airspace Modernization Project completed on time for Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien International Airports

Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien International Airports have been modernized with the creation of a new airspace design. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airbus ProSky partnered for the project that puts into place a modern airspace design, with an integrated Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) system and new operating procedures.

Immediately following Haiti's 2010 earthquake the project began. And it was urgent due to the massive damage the quake did to the aviation infrastructure. Air carriers Air France, American Airlines, and JetBlue also came on board to get involved in the airspace redesign concept.

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Aeroports de Montreal (ADM) is working with the Republic of Haiti's Autorite Aeroportuaire (ANN), with funding provided by the Canadian Embassy in Haiti, to donate airport inventory, used at the former Mirabel terminal, to Cap Haitien International Airport (CHIA). The inventory includes 100 ticket counters, baggage scales, 2,000 luggage vehicles, and 500-plus lounge seats, all retrieved by ADM when Mirabel terminal closed. Now the equipment is being shipped to Miami and then back to Haiti to be installed at CHIA.

ADM CEO James Cherry says this first shipment of inventory to CHIA will start a process of eventually supplying all major airports in Haiti with adequate furnishings and equipment to make them more operable and tourist-friendly.

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The people of the city of Cap-Haitian come to realize that one of the few things that works well with the Haitian government is public pressure. In these lights, they recently took to the streets of the second city of the country to demand that the government complete the expansion work on the Cap-Haitian Airport

"Se Pot ki fè bri Ki beswen gresse"

Headed by the coordinator of the federation of "comités quartiers" of cap-Haitian,(Fekokap) organized a successful march in the streets of Cap-Haitian, starting at place de Carénage to end in front of the office of Department "Delegue".

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A woman originally from the Dominican Republic, who holds passports from both that country and Canada, was held recently after an x-ray of three pumpkins she was traveling with on a flight to Canada revealed that the Halloween staples were packed with bags of cocaine.

Suspicion arose when a Border Service Agent at Canada Airport asked 26 years old Mercedes Jerez Farias, who was not able to lift her own luggage due to the weight added to by the 4.7 kilos of smuggled cocaine, questions she was unable to adequately answer. Adding to her tight-lipped approach, Farias declined to answer to further questioning put to her after she was arrested by the RCMP.

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Lè ke mwen tande ke Jetblue aprale comanse vwayage an Ayiti, premye bagay ki vini nan tet mwen: "Zot" pwale bouke exploite moun an Ayiti. I said no more paying more than $500 to $600 to fly from Miami to Haiti, while the same airline traveling to the neighboring Dominican Republic charges only $200.

We will see soon whether or not Jetblue will make a difference.

Welcome to jetblue into the Haitian market.

Jetblue will be flying to Haiti with one flight from New York's John F Kennedy Airport and two daily out of Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

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A Brazilian Air Force plane crashes at Toussaint Louverture International airport in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, May 26, 2013. The airplane involved in the accident is marked Força Aérea Brasileira and is part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

Boeing B707 was carrying the fifth rotation of the 17th Brazilian contingent.

According to Haitian authorities, the Brazilian military plane Força Aérea Brasileira veered onto the grass next to the runway after one engine caught fire as the aircraft was taking off. As the engine was caught on fire, the landing gear became disabled. Fire crews were able to put out the fire.

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There has been some rumors and also confusion with this information just to say the least. Haiti Press Network had reported that the Haitian Prime Minister, Laurent Lamorthe announced during a visit in the United States that Haiti International Toussaint L'ouverture would be renamed. According to the online News media, the International Airport in Port-au-Prince is to be named after the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez for his contribution to several infrastructure projects in Haiti. Haiti Press Network stated that the information was announced by the Creole service of Voice of America (VOA) in Washington, D.C.

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As part of a comprehensive initiative to bring more of the tourist trade to Haiti, Estrella contractors are building an annex to the Antoine-Simon Airport. Estrella, a Dominican Republic construction firm, will erect both a new terminal as well as a 3,000-meter airstrip. The government of Haiti (GOH) has commissioned the project to attract more tourism to the South Department.

On February 1, 2013, Haitian Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe, placed the cornerstone of the terminal at a ground-breaking ceremony at Antoine-Simon Airport attended by representatives of the Les Cayes Mayor's Office, along with other government officials. In his remarks, Lamothe spoke of the GOH's wisdom in viewing the Haitian tourist industry as among the "promising sectors" for continued infrastructure development in the country. He added investing in Les Cayes with this expansion project will help the Haitian tourism industry produce many thousands of fresh jobs in the South Department.

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The 1990s was a long rough patch for Haiti and Guy Malary was one of the victims of that period in Haiti

The country was overwhelmed with chaos and violence due to political turmoil between the Haitian government under former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, during his first term in office, and several military leaders and groups. Thousands of individuals who advocated for change and for democracy lost their lives during this dark phase in Haitian politics. One of these noble men and women is Guy Malary.

Guy Malary was the former Justice Minister of Haiti, put into office by Aristide in 1991 and served until his untimely death in 1993. His term was Justice Minister was set in a country torn by violence and the thirst for control and power. He was given the very dangerous task of formulating and presenting laws and policies to the Haitian parliament's legislation that will divide the country's police from the military, a highly-sensitive issue during this time as the parliament was strongly divided with opposite opinions and stands regarding this suggested separation. Malary also sought for the implementation of the Governor's Island Accord and a positive change in Haiti's judicial system.

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