Two days later the UN launched a $562 million cash appeal for Haiti following the earthquake that reportedly has now claimed 200,000 lives and left over two million homeless.

Since then the capacity-restricted airport and its Santo Domingo alternate have seen a continuous stream of flights from, among others, Deutsche Post DHL, American Airlines and its regional partner American Eagle, Amerijet International, First Air, UPS, FedEx, Lufthansa, Northern Air Cargo, National Air Lines, Etihad, Volga-Dnepr, Maximus, Qatar Airways and Florida Coastal Airlines.

The US military said it has now got permission to use the Dominican Republic's air base at San Isidro, some 135 miles (220 kilometers) east of Port-au-Prince in order to ease congestion.

Charter broker Chapman Freeborn reports that it has coordinated over 50 flights for aid agencies including the World Food Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Oxfam and USAID.

Aircraft have included L-100 Hercules, AN-12, IL-76, DC-8, MD11, B777F and B747 freighters.

According to the UN, over $950 million has been pledged for relief aid to Haiti in the coming months.