Spirit Airlines flight attendant injured after gunfire strikes plane to Haiti

Wednesday at 03:10 AM

A Spirit Airlines plane awaits takeoff at LaGuardia Airport in New York

Leslie Josephs/CNBC

Gunfire hit a Spirit Airlines flight to Haiti on Monday, injuring a crew member, and may have struck a separate flight from the country as the State Department warned of “gang-led efforts” to stop travel to the Caribbean nation.

Spirit confirmed in a statement that one of its flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was diverted to the Dominican Republic on Monday. It said an inspection of the aircraft showed damage consistent with gunfire.

“One Flight Attendant on board reported minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel,” the statement said. “No Guest injuries were reported.”

Spirit said that it is suspending its services to Haiti pending “evaluation” of the incident and that the plane was being taken out of service for the time being. A return flight to Florida is being arranged for members of the crew and the passengers who were diverted to the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. State Department subsequently issued an alert warning of “gang-led efforts” to stop travel to Haiti and cautioning Americans not to go there.

Also on Monday, a post-flight inspection of the exterior of a JetBlue aircraft used for a trip from Port-au-Prince to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport turned up evidence that it had been struck by a round, the airline said in a statement.

“No issues were initially reported by the operating crew,” JetBlue said.

The airline launched an investigation and said its flights to and from Haiti will be suspended through at least Dec. 2. It blamed “ongoing civil unrest” for the pause in travel.

American Airlines said a statement that it was also suspending its services from Miami to Port-au-Prince.

“We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” it said.

The State Department said in an alert from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince on Monday that it was aware of a pause in operations at the city’s airport.

“The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince is aware of gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports,” the alert said.

The State Department advises against travel to Haiti, which is still in the midst of violent political turmoil. Even travel within the Caribbean country is not advised.

“You should consider your personal security situation before traveling anywhere in Haiti,” the embassy said. “Only attempt to depart Haiti or travel within Haiti if you believe it is safe for you to do so.”

Haiti has been overcome by armed groups vying for control after a power vacuum was left by the assassination of democratically elected President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Ariel Henry, the deeply unpopular prime minister at the time, assumed the role of president and failed to hold elections.

And when he once again delayed elections this year, violence ensued as armed militias plunged the country into civil unrest and put the lives of civilians in danger.

Henry said in April that he would resign once other Caribbean nations and parties broker a transitional government.

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