ZED Airlines launches investigation into emergency landing with three people on board

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian airline company ZED Airlines said it is investigating what forced one of its planes to make an emergency landing in waters off Haiti’s western coast, after a flight carrying two passengers and a pilot was forced down near the twon of Cabaret on July 8. 

The company said the three people aboard survived and are currently receiving all necessary support and care following the incident.

“The safety of our passengers, our crews, and our operations remains our top priority,” ZED Airlines’ Communications Department said. “We will provide updates as soon as verified information becomes available.”

According to ZED Airlines, the aircraft, a Cessna 402B registered HI-1056, was operating Flight 6502 from Cap-Haïtien to Port-au-Prince when the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in waters near the Lafito port area north of the capital.

In a statement issued on the same day, July 8, ZED Airlines said the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unknown for now and that its technical team will investigate to determine the causes.

The Office National de l’Aviation Civile (OFNAC), the agency responsible for overseeing Haiti’s air traffic, has not yet commented on the incident or announced any measures in response. However, ZED Airlines said the relevant Haitian aviation authorities are expected to conduct their own review.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed rumors circulated on social media alleging that the aircraft may have been the target of sabotage. The Haitian Times contacted ZED Airlines for comment on those claims but had not received a response at the time of publication.

The airline has also not publicly addressed the circulating allegations or indicated whether it has filed a complaint with the Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire (DCPJ).

The emergency landing is the latest in a series of aviation incidents in Haiti that have raised concerns about flight safety, with some ending without injuries and others proving fatal.

The most recent case involved a commercial aircraft operated by Bolt on a flight between Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes, which made an emergency landing in the commune of Les Cayes on Feb. 3. According to officials at the time, all six people on board escaped unharmed, with no fatalities or injuries reported. 

The authorities of Haiti’s National Office of Civil Aviation (OFNAC) opened an investigation into the incident, but its findings have not yet been made public.

Then came the crash of an aircraft operated by Agape Flights, a Florida-based Christian aviation ministry, on Feb. 5, 2026. Both pilots on board were killed when the aircraft crashed in the mountains near Jérémie, in Haiti’s Grand’Anse department. The organization identified the victims as Patrick Decker and Kory Elleby and later repatriated their remains to the United States.

Such aviation incidents are not uncommon in Haiti, where insecurity and deteriorating road conditions often make air travel a preferred option for transportation between departments.

In recent years, domestic airlines have become an increasingly important alternative for travel within Haiti, particularly as gang violence and deteriorating road conditions have made travel by road more dangerous. Their role has grown further since several foreign carriers suspended flights to Port-au-Prince following gang attacks near the airport and restrictions imposed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which remain in effect through September.

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