A Spirit Airlines jetliner headed for Haiti’s troubled capital was hit by gunfire with one flight attendant suffering minor injuries, the US carrier said Monday, November 11.
Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Port-au-Prince was diverted and landed safely in neighboring Dominican Republic, Spirit said in a statement. An on-the-ground inspection revealed damage to the aircraft “consistent with gunfire,” it added.
“No guest injuries were reported,” the budget carrier said, adding that its service to Haiti has been suspended pending further evaluation.
The Haitian capital is largely controlled by powerful, well-armed gangs.
The damaged aircraft was taken out of service and Spirit was arranging for passengers to be returned to Fort Lauderdale on Monday. The airport in Port-au-Prince has grounded all commercial flights, the Miami Herald reported.
American Airlines also announced it was suspending its flight service between Miami and Haiti’s capital until Thursday.
The gunfire incident comes as the country prepared to swear in a new prime minister amid a new power struggle that threatens to plunge the impoverished, crisis-wracked nation into fresh chaos. Haiti’s transitional council has moved to replace Prime Minister Garry Conille, according to an official gazette bulletin seen Sunday by AFP.
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The nine-member council’s decision, dated for publication on Monday, November 11, seeks to push out Conille after just five months in office and replace him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime.
The council is a new body that is not featured in the constitution and it was not approved by parliament because Haiti does not have a sitting legislature. The country has not held elections since 2016, widening a political vacuum that has worsened existing security and health crises.
