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Several airlines have stopped flights to Haiti after a US passenger plane was shot at while trying to land in Port-au-Prince.
Spirit Airlines Flight 951, coming from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was quickly diverted to the Dominican Republic and made a safe landing at Santiago Airport.
It is now known who the passengers were, but it was reported that there were 48 passengers on board, but there are few people voluntarily traveling to Haiti these days, and having landed in Santiago, they may have difficulty completing their journey overland.
The identity of the passengers is also unknown, so at this point in time it is difficult to know whether the gunmen were targeting a specific passenger or passengers or just shooting at random. It is considered unlikely that US diplomats would be traveling on Spirit Airlines out of Fort Lauderdale.
A flight attendant got minor injuries, but no passengers were hurt. This is the second attack in three weeks on planes flying over Haiti’s capital.
The incident happened just as a new prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, took office. He said his main goal is “restoring security” in the country, which is struggling with armed gangs and increasing violence.
Despite the “difficult circumstances,” he promised to use all his energy, skills, and “patriotism” to help the country. Fils-Aimé, a businessman who previously studied at Boston University and ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2015, was appointed by the ruling council after the last leader, Garry Conille, was removed after less than six months.
The Spirit flight was supposed to land at Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport just before noon (17:00 GMT) when it was hit.
A video shared online showed several bullet holes inside the plane where the crew sits during take-off and landing.
Spirit Airlines said an inspection at Santiago Airport found “damage consistent with gunfire,” and the plane was taken out of service. The airline has now stopped flights to Haiti “for further evaluation.”
Two other US airlines, American Airlines and JetBlue, have also paused flights to Haiti until at least Thursday. It is now likely that the US will ban civilian flights to Haiti altogether.
Haiti’s security situation has worsened recently. In October, gang members fired at a UN helicopter, causing some airlines to cancel flights to the country.
A UN-backed policing mission led by Kenyan officers began in June to try to take control back from gangs.
Spirit Airlines is a low-cost carrier based in Florida that flies throughout the US, Caribbean, and Latin America.
A second flight, New York-bound JetBlue Airways Flight 935, was hit after take off. JetBlue only discovered it has been shot at after the crew arrived safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
An Air Caraïbes flight from Paris to Santo Domingo, typically stopping in Port-au-Prince, was also diverted directly to Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo due to escalating violence near the Haitian airport.
The Airbus A350-941, flight TX554, usually lands in Port-au-Prince to board and deboard passengers before continuing to Santo Domingo.
On Monday, however, Air Caraïbes chose to cancel this stopover to prioritize passenger and crew safety amid security concerns.
President Abinader of the Dominican Republic said that the attack on an aircraft in Haiti was “an act of terrorism”.
During La Semanal con la Prensa, Abinader expressed frustration with the ongoing violence in Haiti and warned that Dominican authorities treat these gangs as terrorists, emphasizing the consequences they would face if entering Dominican territory. He stressed the urgency for global action against these groups, calling the shooting “a terrorist act” and highlighting the danger posed by such incidents.
Sources: BBC, AP, Spirit Airlines.
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