By Frances Robles and David C. Adams
On Monday, a Spirit Airlines flight attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, came under gunfire and was compelled to alter its course, illustrating a significant intensification of the violence afflicting the country.
Flight 951, which originated from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, en route to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, was impacted multiple times and ultimately landed in Santiago, Dominican Republic, as reported by Tommy Fletcher, a representative for the airline.
“A thorough inspection indicated signs of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire,” Fletcher stated in a press release. “One flight attendant aboard reported minor injuries and is currently being assessed by medical professionals.”
According to the airline, no passengers sustained injuries. Spirit has halted flights to both Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien, a city in northern Haiti. The airplane has been taken out of service.
The gunfire seemed to originate from the ground, though the identity of the shooter remains uncertain. Gangs that have launched a wave of violence across Haiti are known to operate in the vicinity of the Port-au-Prince airport, the nation’s capital.
Flight tracking services indicated that a JetBlue flight turned around and departed from Haiti as the Port-au-Prince airport was swiftly closed. JetBlue and American Airlines have canceled their flights to and from Haiti until Thursday afternoon. A JetBlue spokesperson mentioned that the airline would keep a close watch on the situation to assess if further cancellations were necessary.
Officials from Haiti’s aviation authority did not respond to inquiries for additional details.
This incident marks the second occurrence within two months in which an aircraft in Haiti has been targeted by gunfire. Last month, a United Nations helicopter carrying three crew members and 15 passengers was shot at multiple times while flying over a neighborhood controlled by gangs in the capital.
Recently, social media has been inundated with images of a U.S. armored vehicle sent to Haiti to help curb the violence engulfed in flames, reportedly set on fire by gang members. Gangs also opened fire on two U.S. Embassy vehicles in Port-au-Prince last month.
The assault on the Spirit aircraft occurred just a day after Haiti’s interim prime minister was dismissed by the country’s transitional presidential council—a committee of nine members governing Haiti until elections can be organized to select a new president (see related story on page 10).
