The skies above Haiti have become perilous pathways for US airlines as both Spirit Airlines and JetBlue flights encountered gunfire in separate incidents. A Spirit Airlines jet, en route to Haiti from Fort Lauderdale, was forced to make an emergency landing in the Dominican Republic after sustaining damage from gunfire. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now urgently considering a flight ban, with rising concerns over the safety of air travel to the beleaguered Caribbean nation.
Yesterday, Spirit Airlines Flight 951 had to abruptly divert to Santiago after being struck while trying to land in Port-au-Prince, as per an official statement from the Haitian National Office of Civil Aviation (OFNAC). The gunfire incident resulted in the injury of a flight attendant, who reportedly sustained minor injuries. According to
ABC7 News
, while trying to descend into Touissant Louverture Airport, the aircraft was hit four times, forcing the pilot to pull up 550 feet from the runway to safely redirect the flight to the Dominican Republic.
Adding to the aviation turmoil, JetBlue also reported a flight coming from Haiti was hit by a bullet after landing in New York City, prompting the airline to halt its flights to and from Haiti through December 2. According to the FAA’s statement obtained by
Local10
, the administration is expected to make a decision on the proposed flight ban today. The deliberations happen amid a backdrop of significant civil unrest and gang violence in Haiti, overshadowing the country’s attempts to navigate through an increasingly chaotic political landscape.
Kevin Adair, a passenger on the Spirit flight, told
Local10
, “It was amazingly quick how the pilot got us out of there.” Following the incident, the damaged Spirit Airlines plane is out of service, pending a thorough inspection and investigation. Spirit Airlines has also temporarily suspended its services to Haitian destinations Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien and is actively arranging transportation for affected passengers back to Fort Lauderdale.
The UN estimates that gangs currently control approximately 85% of Port-au-Prince, and a U.N.-backed mission to combat gang violence is struggling due to insufficient funding and personnel. This security crisis comes at a time when Haiti is grappling with its internal political struggles, following the dismissal of its interim prime minister by a transitional council seeking to restore democratic order, after years without elections.
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