A Spirit Airlines flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city, was allegedly hit by gunfire on Nov. 11, and it was diverted to the Dominican Republic, where it was examined and found to have damage consistent with gunfire.
According to NBC News, after the airline issued a statement confirming that a flight attendant received minor injuries, Spirit suspended flights to Haiti and took the plane that was hit with gunfire out of service.
“Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Port-au-Prince (PAP) diverted and landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI). Following the flight’s arrival at STI, an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire,” the statement said.
The statement continued, “One Flight Attendant on board reported minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel. No Guest injuries were reported.”
The United States State Department also subsequently issued an alert warning of “gang-led efforts” at stopping travel to Haiti and cautioned Americans not to travel there.
As for the Spirit customers and employees forced to land in the Dominican Republic, a separate flight is being arranged for them to return to Florida.
A separate outbound JetBlue flight from Port-au-Prince to New York City also showed evidence that it was likely struck by gunfire, according to a statement the airline issued.
“No issues were initially reported by the operating crew,” the airline said.
JetBlue, similar to Spirit Airlines, launched its own post-flight investigation of its aircraft and suspended all flights to and from Haiti through Dec. 2 after discovering its plane was hit by gunfire as it blamed the suspension of services to and from Haiti on “ongoing civil unrest.”
American Airlines also issued a statement stating that it would suspend flights from Miami to Port-au-Prince.
“We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” the statement read.
The U.S. State Department also issued a statement warning against traveling to and from Haiti through an alert from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.
“The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince is aware of gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports,” the alert said.
The alert continued, “You should consider your personal security situation before traveling anywhere in Haiti. Only attempt to depart Haiti or travel within Haiti if you believe it is safe for you to do so.”
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