page_title: Damage to infrastructure in the 2010 Haiti earthquake
section_title: Toussaint Louverture International Airport
hierarchical_section_title: Damage to infrastructure in the 2010 Haiti earthquake / Toussaint Louverture International Airport
caption_attribution_description: English: Airplanes wait for off-load to support in earthquake relief efforts at the Port-au-Prince International Airport.
context_page_description: Damage to infrastructure in the 2010 Haiti earthquake was extensive and affected areas included Port-au-Prince, Petit-Goâve, Léogâne, Jacmel and other settlements in southwestern Haiti. In February Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. The deputy mayor of Léogâne, which was at the epicenter of the earthquake, reported that 90% percent of the buildings in that city had been destroyed and Léogâne had "to be totally rebuilt." Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. The Ministry of Education estimated that half the nation's 15,000 primary schools and 1,500 secondary schools were severely damaged, cracked or destroyed. In addition, the three main universities in Port-au-Prince were also severely damaged. Other affected infrastructure included telephone networks, radio station, factories, and museums. Poor infrastructure before the earthquake only made the aftermath worse. It would take half a day to make a trip of a few miles.
context_section_description: As the hypocenter or focus of the 2010 Haiti earthquake on January 12 was shallow (6 miles) and very near, Toussaint Louverture International Airport was damaged. The runway, the taxiways and the apron of the airport remained operational, but radio communications were not possible because the control tower was extensively damaged. The airport lighting system was also shut down due to power outages. Nevertheless, the airport could be accessed with UNICOM procedures after the quake.
  On the morning of January 13, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Forward arrived and began running air-traffic control from Port-au-Prince Bay. UN Peacekeeping forces had also moved quickly to secure the airport, thus allowing international rescue and aid forces to start their work. Later in the day, United States Air Force Special Tactics personnel landed at the airport and assumed air traffic control (ATC) duties and much of the operation of the airport. Their ATC set-up consisted of a folding table near the runway and handheld transceivers, and a motorcycle to guide aircraft to parking zones.
  As of January 14, dozens of cargo planes were landing and taking off, but regular scheduled commercial air service ceased. Meantime, some inbound travelers were reaching Haiti by flying to neighboring Dominican Republic, primarily Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo, and then traveling overland.
  On January 15, heavy traffic to the airport forced the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Control System Command Center to issue a ground stop for all aircraft trying to leave the U.S. for Haitian airspace due to limited space and lack of fuel at Haiti airport. Problems had been compounded by pilots inbound to the airport canceling instrument flight rules operation and proceeding on visual flight rules. That day the United States was formally granted temporary control of the airport per a memorandum of understanding signed by the Haitian Prime Minister. The airport has apparently been operating without radar, although the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived the morning of the 15th and has advanced aircraft tracking capabilities.
  By the morning of January 18, less than five days after arriving, a reported 819 aircraft had landed under the direction of the USAF team. That day, 180 flights were handled at the airport according to Lieutenant General Ken Keen, commander of the U.S. joint task force assisting in Haiti.
  Late in January, US military had plans established to reopen the airport to civilian flights. Some military flights would be shifted to Jacmel Airport, under control of the Canadian Forces.
  On February 19, 2010, partial commercial operation returned to the airport.
caption: Relief operations crowd the airport, January 18.
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