( CNN ) -- American Airlines announced Tuesday it will resume commercial flights into Port-au-Prince , Haiti , on Friday , making it the first airline to do so . Commercial flights ended on January 12 , when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and damaged many of the country 's buildings , including some at Toussaint Louverture International Airport , in the capital . The first flight will depart Miami International Airport in Florida at 6:40 a.m. , arriving at 8:35 a.m. in Port-au-Prince , American Airlines said in a news release . `` This is that crack in the dam that we so badly needed and our passengers so badly wanted , to start moving regularly scheduled traffic into and out of Haiti , '' spokesman Tim Smith told CNN Radio . `` We 'll start out with three main flights a day from south Florida , two from Miami and one from Fort Lauderdale . Then we 'll also fly a JFK New York flight into Haiti four days a week . '' Smith said that , despite damage to the airport , the airline was prepared to deal with passengers . `` One of the things we did very soon after the earthquake is that , as we were going in carrying relief supplies , we also sent in some American employees and folks from a construction firm that we worked with on the mainland to actually begin working to repair our facilities there at the Port-au-Prince terminal . '' Haitian customs officials will work out of a cargo facility because of damage at the main terminal , Smith said . `` These flights serve as major milestones toward helping the country rebuild , '' Peter Dolara , American 's senior vice president for Mexico , the Caribbean and Latin America , said in the news release . `` With commercial air service restored , we can better connect loved ones and provide consistent transportation to and from Haiti . '' Also beginning March 12 , American Eagle will commence new service into Port-au-Prince from San Juan , Puerto Rico , and daily flights from the Dominican Republic cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago . `` We have begun our journey to recover from the catastrophic earthquake , but with support from companies like American Airlines , we hope it wo n't be nearly as long , '' said Ralph Latortue , consul general of Haiti in Florida . American has served Haiti since 1971 and employs more than 100 people in Port-au-Prince , according to the airline . Since the day after the earthquake , American Airlines and American Eagle have continued flying into and out of Haiti -- carrying relief workers , medical personnel , humanitarian aid and evacuating hundreds of people . A spokeswoman for Spirit Airlines , which had a daily flight from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince , said the company was working to gain approval to resume its flights beginning Friday . `` We 're awaiting the response from the airport , '' said spokeswoman Misty Pinson . A spokesman for Delta Air Lines said it was working with Haitian authorities to reinstate service `` as quickly as possible . '' The work on the American Airlines terminal was carried out by Odebrecht , a Sao Paulo , Brazil-based construction company that built American 's terminal at Miami International Airport , said spokeswoman Renata Pinheiro . A cargo building that was undamaged by the earthquake was transformed into a terminal , and immigration and customs services were located there , she said . A terminal that suffered only minor damaged was fixed . `` It was n't a reconstruction of the airport itself , it was really making it operational , '' she said about the effort . The company 's workforce of 75 included 30 Haitian baggage handlers who `` became construction helpers , '' she said . `` Odebrecht 's people trained them to do welding and painting . The really cool thing that we 're super happy about is the fact that the whole thing came about in just three weeks . '' Among the toughest challenges was finding construction supplies , the company said in a news release . Odebrecht solved that by obtaining materials in Puerto Rico and sending them by barge to the Dominican Republic , then moving them by truck to the Haitian capital . `` This has been a genuine labor of love , but also one of absolute commitment , '' said Antonio Pinto , Odebrecht 's project executive in Haiti . `` In the most basic human terms , it is essential to reopen this airport and to reconnect the people of Haiti with their families and friends abroad . '' The company 's other projects include rebuilding and fortifying levees in New Orleans , Louisiana , under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers .
American will resume service tomorrow morning . The airline has been working to repair earthquake damage to the terminal . United Airlines is waiting for American to resume daily flight from Florida .