ZED Airlines Sold Tickets for an Illegal Flight

Canadian authorities have told AyiboPost that the airline does not have authorization to operate flights to Canada. Nevertheless, it has been selling round-trip tickets to Montreal for $1,263. This case highlights the chaos and gaps in consumer protection within Haiti’s aviation sector

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ZED Airlines sold tickets for a flight to Montreal without holding the authorizations required to legally operate the route, according to information obtained by AyiboPost from Canadian authorities.

On June 8, a large group of passengers scheduled to board the flight — for which round-trip tickets were priced at $1,263 USD — learned upon arriving at Cap-Haïtien International Airport that their departure had been canceled.

In an email sent to AyiboPost, Transport Canada, the federal agency responsible for regulating and overseeing aviation safety, stated that ZED Airlines does not hold a valid Foreign Air Operator Certificate required under Part VII of the Canadian Aviation Regulations.

According to Transport Canada’s email, ZED Airlines also does not hold an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) registered with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

That is not all.

Transport Canada further stated that the airlines announced by ZED Airlines as partners for the Montreal route — World Atlantic Airlines and Global X Air — do not hold the licenses issued by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) that are required under Section 57 of the Canada Transportation Act.

“Because these mandatory legal thresholds were not met, the airline was not authorized to operate the flight”, Hicham Ayoun, senior communications advisor at Transport Canada, told AyiboPost.

In a statement released the same day, ZED Airlines said the cancellation was not related to air operating authorizations, a version of events that Canadian authorities disputed in comments to AyiboPost.

Failure to comply with legal requirements puts Haitian passengers at risk and reflects disorder within Haiti’s National Civil Aviation Office (OFNAC), where politics and personal relationships often take precedence over technical requirements, according to two sources familiar with how the institution operates.

According to the source, this disorder is reflected in part by the issuance of temporary operating permits that allow politically connected companies to operate without meeting the full set of technical and legal requirements.

ZED Airlines operates in Haiti under a “temporary” commercial license signed by director Hantz Célestin, whose validity expires in May 2026, according to a technical document obtained by AyiboPost. It is unclear whether this temporary license has been renewed.

AyiboPost contacted both ZED Airlines and OFNAC as part of this investigation.

OFNAC did not respond, while ZED Airlines acknowledged receipt of our correspondence.

In a statement published yesterday, ZED Airlines announced the suspension of its flights to and from Montreal, as well as its flights to and from New York, “until further notice.” The statement did not specify the reasons for the suspension, and OFNAC has not issued any public communication on the matter.

Under current regulations, a foreign air carrier must obtain the necessary authorizations from both its country of origin and the destination country, including operating certificates as well as economic and operational approvals.

ZED Airlines not only failed to meet these requirements for Canada, but the company was also selling tickets for a flight that had not been authorized to operate.

Following the intervention of Canadian authorities, customers have been left struggling to obtain refunds. OFNAC remains silent on the issue.

One customer, who purchased a Montreal–Cap-Haïtien ticket for nearly $600 for the June 16 flight, said he learned of the cancellation through a notice posted by the airline on Facebook.

Originally from Les Cayes, the 40-year-old man had planned to travel to his hometown for the summer. He had received his booking confirmation on June 5, according to a screenshot of the confirmation email shared with AyiboPost.

He is still trying to obtain a refund.

He said that despite repeated attempts, he has been unable to reach the airline’s customer service number in Montreal.

“I tried unsuccessfully to contact them. I did not even receive an email informing me of the cancellation,” he told AyiboPost.

Paul David, 36, had accompanied his mother to Cap-Haïtien. She had been scheduled to travel to Montreal to join her daughter.

It was at the check-in counter that an employee informed them that the flight had been canceled.

“It was disappointing. I wanted to take advantage of this direct route, which would have been more suitable for my mother,” said the man, who explained that he had purchased the ticket for $400 USD.

After tensions rose at the airport and in the absence of a formal response, a company representative eventually offered the group of customers three options: transit through the Dominican Republic, be rebooked on another flight the following day via the Turks and Caicos Islands, or request a refund.

Paul said he chose the connecting-flight option.

He had to pay for an additional hotel night for himself and his mother in Cap-Haïtien and reserve two hotel nights for his mother in the Turks and Caicos, at a cost of $700.

By : Widlore Mérancourt, Wethzer Piercin  & Wesker Sylvain