A Spirit Airlines A320 aircraft came under gunfire while attempting to land in Port Au Prince, Haiti today. One flight attendant sustained minor injury, the aircraft was damaged inside–including the interior–and the flight was forced to divert to a neighboring country.
Spirit Airlines A320 Showered With Bullets While Attempting To Land In Port Au Prince, Haiti
Spirit Airlines 951 took off this morning from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) for Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.
As it attempted to land in the Haitian capital, it was shot at by gunfire on the ground and forced to divert to Cibao International Airport (CIB), in Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic. One flight attendant sustained minor injuries, as noted by a Spirt Airlines spokesperson:
“An inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire. One flight attendant on board reported minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel.”
No pasengers were hurt. Photos, however, show that the passenger cabin was hit: bullet holes pierced through multiple overhead bins and evidence of bullet holes was also found on one of the rear lavatory doors.
🇩🇴🇭🇹🚨‼️ Spirit Airlines flight NK951, attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was struck by gunfire, resulting in its diversion to the Dominican Republic.
According to sources, a flight attendant was grazed by a bullet in the incident. In response, all flights to and from… pic.twitter.com/59z4adRWQX
— TabZ (@TabZLIVE) November 11, 2024
Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, and American Airlines have all suspended service to Haiti, including to destinations outside the beleaguered capital, such as Cap-Haïtien.
I’m a pretty adventurous traveler, but there is one place I will not go right now and that is Haiti. Case in point: today’s attack. I’ll not comment on the politics surrounding this, but it comes just a day after Haiti’s interim prime minister Garry Conille was fired by the country’s transition presidential council. Haiti showed once again today it is a failed state.
Let’s hope that someone will help restore order in Haiti…but until then, it makes sense for commercial aircraft to stay away…
