As if things weren’t bad enough in Haiti, where residents woke up Tuesday to find banks, most schools and other businesses closed after a day of tension in Port-au-Prince and other major cities, now international travelers cannot fly out of the country.
Ernst Renaud, the director of operations at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, told the Miami Herald that the airport is closed until 6 a.m. Wednesday after workers were unable to get rid of the smell of smoke due to electrical sparks in the departure lounge.
“We are taking the decision to protect passengers,” Renaud said. He added that domestic flights, which use a different terminal, are not affected.
Asked whether passengers, who had been waiting since 6 a.m. to fly out of Port-au-Prince, had been informed, Renaud said it wasn’t his job but that of the individual airlines to do so. By 12:30 p.m. some still had not done so.
Passengers arriving at the airport to take flights out early Tuesday found crime-scene investigators with cameras wearing white coats and blue latex gloves at the airport. As the large crowd formed at the entrance, there was no electricity inside the airport. Continue reading