19 February, 2019

Air Canada suspends flights to Haiti as protests turn more violent.

Running from police gunfire Photo Dieu Nalio Chery/Associated Press
Opposition protesters have taken to the streets of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, for another day as the unrest continues amid a corruption scandal and soaring inflation.

Demonstrators had put up makeshift barricades and burnt tyres over the weekend following days of protests over allegations that officials and ministers had stolen funds from an oil deal said to run into more than $2 billion.

According to local figures, seven people have been killed during the protests which began earlier this month and have caused many countries around the world to warn against travel to Haiti, including Canada and the United Kingdom. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office now warn advise against all but essential travel to Haiti due to the current unstable and dangerous security situation. 

On Monday, Air Canada Rouge operated flight AC1815 on a Boeing 767 from Port-au-Prince with 209 customers and 16 crew and support employees onboard. The airline has suspended its usual two flights a week, with  Craig Landry, Executive Vice President, Operations at Air Canada saying, "Our thoughts are with the Haitian people during this period of disturbance. Given the strong ties between our two countries, Air Canada has a long, proud history of serving Haiti and we intend to resume regular service as soon as it is safe to do so."



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