Airlines cancel flights to Haiti after gunfire hits Spirit airplane over Port-au-Prince

A Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire Monday over Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, according to diplomatic source in the country, resulting in what the airline described as “minor injuries” to one of its crew members.

Spirit said Monday that its flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to Port-au-Prince was diverted and landed in Santiago in the Dominican Republic, where “an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire.”

The airline said one of its flight attendants reported minor injuries and was being evaluated by medical personnel and that no other injuries were reported. It added that the aircraft has been taken out of service, and Spirit services to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien have been suspended.

Data reviewed by CNN from FlightRadar24 showed the plane descending to an altitude of 550 feet over Port-au-Prince’s Tabarre neighbourhood, just east of the airport, before pulling up quickly and bypassing the runway.

Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s main international airport, has since paused operations following the incident, the diplomatic source told CNN.

The Haitian-based commercial airline Sunrise Airways told CNN that it has suspended flights until further notice. US-based carriers JetBlue and American Airlines have also cancelled flights to and from Haiti until Thursday.

Haiti has been ridden with widespread gang activity and political chaos for nearly a year, with international actors also impacted by direct violence in recent weeks. Last month, a United Nations helicopter was also hit by bullets while flying over Port-au-Prince. And in a separate incident in October, gangs targeted US embassy vehicles with gunfire, later prompting the evacuation of 20 embassy staffers.

In late February and early March, coordinated gang attacks forced the closure of both the airport and main seaport in the Haitian capital, choking off vital supplies of food and humanitarian aid to the Caribbean nation.

The latest incident comes amid political turmoil, following a vote by Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council to replace Prime Minister Garry Conille after less than half a year in office.

According to a government communique, the governing council signed a declaration on November 8 which removed Conille from his position and named businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new prime minister.

Conille’s predecessor Ariel Henry stepped down earlier this year amid spiraling gang violence.