A Spirit Airlines flight on Monday was struck by gunfire while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, while a JetBlue passenger plane that flew from the Haitian capital city to New York was struck by a bullet earlier in the day—as escalating gang violence forced authorities to shut down the busiest airport in the country while U.S. authorities warned against travel to the country.
Spirit Airlines Flight NK951 flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Port-au-Prince was forced to divert to the Dominican Republic after being struck by gunfire four times while attempting a landing, the local aviation authorities told ABC News.
In a statement to the media on Monday evening, Spirit Airlines confirmed it “landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic” after being diverted, and a flight attendant on board reported minor injuries.
Tracking data from FlightAware showed the aircraft descended as low as 600 feet over Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport before aborting its landing attempt.
A post-flight inspection also revealed that JetBlue Flight 935, which flew from the Haitian capital to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday, was also struck by a bullet, although no issues were detected during the flight.
JetBlue, Spirit Airlines and American Airlines have temporarily suspended all flights in and out of Haiti—with JetBlue extending the suspensions till December 2 after discovering damage from the bullet on one of their planes.
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti also issued a security alert warning of “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince,” and urged U.S. nationals to avoid travel into Haiti.
“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 security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous. Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk,” the advisory said.
According to the Associated Press, gangs and armed police officers exchanged fire across the Haitian capital on Monday as some homes in the city were set on fire and schools were forced to remain shut.
The escalation in gang violence occurred on a day when businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime was sworn into office as the country’s new Prime Minister and promised to improve the security situation in the country.
Fils-Aime’s predecessor Garry Conille was fired from the role on Sunday by the country’s transitional presidential council—which has been tasked with restoring Democratic order in the country.
The council’s work, however, has been marred by reports of infighting and corruption.
Observers have warned instability is likely to worsen gang activity in the country—which has faced a major crisis since the assassination of its former President Jovenel Moïse in his private residence in 2021.
About 80%. That is the total area of Port-au-Prince which is under the influence or control of armed gangs, according to the United Nations.
