Belonging to the American company Spirit Airlines, the plane was diverted to the Dominican Republic.
A crew member was injured in the incident.
The carrier announced that it would suspend all its routes to the small Caribbean country.
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Haiti descends into chaos
Fear for the passengers of Flight 951. This airliner of the American company Spirit Airlines bound for Port-au-Prince (Haiti) was hit by gunfire and diverted to the Dominican Republic, announced Monday November 11 the carrier. Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the flight was diverted to Santiago, where an inspection “revealed evidence of damage to the device consistent with gunfire”declared the American low-cost companion.
In the process, Spirit Airlines indicated that it was suspending its connections with Haiti, a Caribbean country ravaged by gang violence, in “waiting for further evaluation”. “A crew member reported minor injuries and is being examined by a medical team” but no passengers were injured, adds the Spirit Airlines press release.
A country in crisis
The plane was grounded and another plane must bring passengers back to Fort Lauderdale during the day, the carrier further specifies. American Airlines also suspended its flights from Miami to Port-au-Prince until Thursday, it confirmed to AFP. Already at the end of October, several companies including Spirit Airlines had suspended their connections with Haiti due to an increase in gang violence in the Haitian capital. This incident comes against the backdrop of a new political crisis.
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On Sunday, the Presidential Transitional Council decided to dismiss the Prime Minister, in office for only five months, and a new leader, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, is due to take office soon. Haiti has suffered from chronic political instability for decades. But in recent months, the poor Caribbean country has also had to face a resurgence of violence from gangs, who control 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince. The UN Secretary General on Monday called on Haitian political actors to “overcome their differences” and to “work together”.
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