Haiti announces reopening of capital's international airport

Port-Au-Prince: Haiti's government hailed the reopening of the capital's Toussaint Louverture International Airport on Wednesday, touting it in a statement as a "turning point" for the economy, after the hub was shut down for a month due to growing gang violence.

The announcement from Haiti's aviation authority was released early Wednesday in a brief post, stating that the airport had resumed normal operations, but it was unclear when the first commercial flights would resume since a US regulator ban on flights from the facility remains in place until at least Thursday.

Raging gangland violence has hit the capital especially hard, aggravating a prolonged social and political crisis on the Caribbean island nation, which also included shots fired at commercial planes in November that provoked carriers to suspend flights.

A separate statement from Haiti's interim government dated Tuesday but released on Wednesday, noted that airport security has been boosted to include new patrols and checkpoints around the facility in coordination with national police, soldiers as well as the small Kenyan-led international force backed by the United Nations.

"This decision is part of a strategic approach aimed at restoring a secure environment and relaunching economic activities," according to the government statement.