Haiti: Flight Ban After US Planes Struck With Gunfire

FAA Bans Flights To Haiti For 30 Days After Planes Struck w/ Gunfire

The FAA has banned all flights to Haiti after three US jets flying over the country were struck by gunfire. It was determined the gunshots were allegedly in connection to an escalating gang war in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

The Spirit Airlines plane was traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Monday. The aircraft attempted to land, and four rounds were fired into the jet. The plane diverted east to the Dominican Republic, where it landed safely. A flight attendant reportedly suffered minor injuries. Also, a passenger onboard shared his account of the incident, “We were about to land. I can’t estimate how many feet we were from the ground. I heard clock, clock, clock three times,” he stated. 

Multiple Aircrafts Hit

According to Spirit Airlines, “An inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire.” Jet Blue later reported the airline discovered damage from a bullet hole in one of their planes returning from Haiti during their inspection in New York. Lastly, an American Airlines flight departing from Haiti’s main airport was hit by gunfire, according to the airline and a pilot union memo obtained by CNN.

Since these incidents, Haitian authorities ordered a suspension of all flights to and from Port-au-Prince for 7 days. In addition, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a 30-day ban on U.S. civil aviation operations below 10,000 feet over Haiti. The United Nations also grounded flights in Haiti.

“Following the shooting incident involving a Spirit Airlines flight on final approach to Port-au-Prince, the airport has been closed until November 18,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a Tuesday briefing.

Dujarric added that the grounding of flights is severely impacting the delivery of humanitarian aid. The movement of more than a dozen trucks carrying crucial food and medical supplies to southern Haiti has been delayed as a result.

These horrific events occurred on the same day Haiti swore in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime.

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