A Spirit Airlines flight was forced to divert after being struck by gunfire from gangs while landing in Haiti’s capital on Monday.
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The plane, which had taken off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was diverted to the Dominican Republic, where it landed safely. According to the Miami Herald, at least one individual—a flight attendant—was grazed by a bullet during the incident.
Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, forced to abort landing at Port-au-Prince airport after being hit by gunfire, Haitian media report. pic.twitter.com/JLlTW6GEf1
— MP (@Mp220Mp) November 11, 2024
Officials at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince have suspended all flights.
“No Guest injuries were reported,” Spirit Airlines said in a statement via The Daily Mail. “The plane has been taken out of service. We are arranging for a different aircraft to return our Guests and crew to FLL today. The safety of our Guests and Team Members is our top priority, and we have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince (PAP) and Cap-Haitien (CAP) pending further evaluation,” the airline added.
This is the Second Incident of Aircraft Coming Under Gunfire While in Flight in the Region Recently
This incident marks the second occurrence in recent weeks where an aircraft flying over Port-au-Prince airspace has come under gunfire from armed gangs. Last month, a United Nations helicopter was also hit by gunfire from gangs. It had to divert back to the airport, fortunately with no injuries reported.
Monday’s shooting took place just hours before Haiti’s ruling presidential council was scheduled to swear in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime. This followed the ousting of Prime Minister Garry Conille through an executive order that was leaked on Sunday. The leak was subsequently posted on the council’s X account early Monday morning.
This situation highlights the ongoing turmoil in Haiti’s fragile democratic transition. It has been stalled for years mainly because of rising gang violence that continues to affect the Caribbean nation.
The transitional presidential council, established in April, was tasked with selecting Haiti’s next prime minister and Cabinet. This was in hopes of alleviating the ongoing turmoil in the country. However, the council has been mired in political strife and infighting, leading to a prolonged conflict with Conille.
According to The Miami Herald, organizations such as the Organization of American States attempted to mediate ongoing disagreements last week in a bid to preserve Haiti’s fragile transition. However, their efforts were unsuccessful.
In September, the Department of State advised Americans to refrain from traveling to Haiti.