PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI- Remember when President-elect Trump allegedly referred to Haiti as a “third-world s*******?” He may have been vindicated this week as the Caribbean nation lived up to that description when at least two passenger jets were struck by gunfire in the vicinity of that country’s airport. Now, the Federal Aviation Commission (FAA) has responded, the New York Post reports.
On Monday, a Spirit Airlines Airbus on landing approach to Haiti’s international airport was hit by gunfire, a terrifying experience for the passengers and crew. The aircraft was forced to divert to an airport in the neighboring Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, a JetBlue airliner returning from Port-au-Prince was found to have suffered gunshot damage upon arrival in New York.
The FAA issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) prohibiting U.S. civilian aviation operators from operating in Haiti’s territory and airspace below 10,000 feet for 30 days.
“We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities,” JetBlue said, specifically addressing the ongoing violence in Haiti for its decision to implement flight cancellations through early next month.
In a statement, Spirit Airlines revealed the impact of the incident on their operations. One of their aircraft was damaged and removed from service after it landed in the Dominican city of Santiago. A flight attendant suffered a minor injury, but thankfully, no passengers were harmed.
The FAA and the U.S. embassy in Haiti said all flights in and out of Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince were halted.
The FAA said two other flights inbound for Haiti were canceled out of an abundance of caution.
Spirit announced it was suspending flights to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, in the north of Haiti, “pending further evaluation.”
The passengers on the stricken Spirit aircraft were set to be taken back to Fort Lauderdale, where the flight originated, on Monday.
The Post said that armed gangs in Haiti’s capital have taken to shooting at aircraft over the past several weeks as security in the nation continues to deteriorate. Last month, a U.N. helicopter was hit by gunfire over the nation’s capital.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has opened doors to illegals from Haiti to enter the country, where a small town in Ohio saw its population increase by one-third as over 20,000 illegals, most of them Haitians, were dropped in the city of Springfield, Ohio. Some of them refuse to assimilate, and it is reasonable to assume some of them are the same kind of individuals who shoot at civilian passenger planes.