Two U.S.-based airline companies have suspended flights to and from Haiti after bullets struck their jets as they flew over the Caribbean nation’s airspace. Per CNN, the incidents occurred in the volatile nation’s capital city of Port-au-Prince.
The incidents resulted in Haitian authorities ultimately announcing that they were halting all flights to and fro Port-au-Prince. Deadly gang violence has engulfed Haiti for almost a year and also caused widespread displacement.
Spirit Airlines said one of its planes was trying to land in Port-au-Prince when it was struck by bullets, adding that a crew member suffered “minor injuries.” The airline company on Monday said that the plane had taken off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but the plane later diverted to the Dominican Republic after it was struck by bullets when it tried to land in Port-au-Prince.
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After landing in the Dominican Republic, Spirit Airlines said that “an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire.” The company said that the plane in question has since been grounded, adding that they have also suspended their services to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien.
Flight personnel were later sent a warning by the Haitian civil aviation authority and informed about the temporal suspension of flights at the airport. The notice, which took effect on Monday afternoon, is expected to be lifted on Monday, November 18, CNN reported.
JetBlue and American Airlines have also similarly announced they have suspended flights to and from Haiti. JetBlue in a statement said that during a post-flight inspection on one of its planes that landed at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, it was determined a bullet had struck the aircraft’s exterior.
“We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities,” JetBlue said. The company also said it was temporarily suspending its services to the Caribbean nation as a result of “the going civil unrest.”
On the day of the incidents, Alix Didier Fils-Aime was sworn in as Haiti’s new Prime Minister by the country’s transitional council. Fils-Aime has promised to tackle the violence and make Haiti a democratic nation.
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