Spirit Airlines flight from Florida to Haiti hit by gunfire while trying to land, diverts to Dominican Republic

A Spirit Airways flight from Florida was hit by gunfire whereas attempting to land in Haiti‘s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Monday and diverted to the neighboring nation of the Dominican Republic, the Federal Aviation Administration stated. A flight attendant sustained minor accidents through the incident.

Two different flights certain for Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture Worldwide Airport had been diverted as a precaution, the FAA stated in a press release. The airport closed following the taking pictures, in accordance with the company.

A video posted to social media appeared to point out a bullet gap contained in the Spirit aircraft close to an exit at the back of the cabin. The video additionally exhibits injury to an overhead compartment above a row of seats. Pictures shared by the airport the place the aircraft landed within the Dominican Republic present what seem like bullet holes on the outside of the aircraft.

Spirit Airways Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport, simply north of Miami, on Monday morning, certain for Port-au-Prince.

In line with the flight-tracking web site Flightradar24, the flight flew over elements of Haiti and circled round Port-au-Prince. The Airbus A320 was over a neighborhood about 550 ft off the bottom when it started to rapidly climb and diverted to Cibao Worldwide Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

“The choice to get out of there, I believe that was a really stable resolution,” stated Robert Sumwalt, a former chairman of the Nationwide Transportation Security Board and a CBS Information transportation security skilled and analyst.

The flight landed safely, in accordance with Spirit. The airport stated 48 passengers had been on the flight. In Santiago, the plane was inspected, and injury per gunfire was discovered, the airline stated.

A flight attendants union, the Affiliation of Flight Attendants, confirmed to CBS Information {that a} flight attendant on the aircraft sustained minor accidents from particles through the incident. No passenger accidents had been reported, in accordance with Spirit.

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince stated in a safety alert Monday it was conscious of “gang-led efforts” to dam journey to and from the capital that will embody “armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports.”

“The safety scenario in Haiti is unpredictable and harmful,” the embassy stated. “Journey inside Haiti is performed at your personal threat. The U.S. authorities can not assure your security touring to airports, borders, or throughout any onward journey. It’s best to think about your private safety scenario earlier than touring wherever in Haiti.”

Sumwalt stated it is necessary for carriers to know incidents like Monday’s can occur at a few of their locations.

“Airways really want to ensure that they perceive that these types of issues can occur in a few of these international locations the place now we have political unrest, the place now we have violence,” Sumwalt stated.

Spirit stated the aircraft concerned in Monday’s incident was taken out of service. The airline was making preparations for a special aircraft to take the passengers and crew again to Fort Lauderdale on Monday.

Following the incident, Spirit and different airways suspended service to Haiti.

Spirit stated its service at Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien in northern Haiti was suspended “pending additional analysis.”

JetBlue stated Monday night time it found one in every of its planes had additionally been hit by gunfire. 

“JetBlue flight 634 from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, landed safely at New York’s JFK Airport. Whereas no points had been initially reported by the working crew, a post-flight inspection later recognized that the plane’s exterior had been struck by a bullet.”

JetBlue canceled its flights to and from Haiti via Dec. 2. “We’ll proceed to observe the scenario carefully and replace our plans as mandatory,” the provider stated in a press release.  

American Airways stated it was suspending flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince via Thursday. “We’ll proceed to observe the scenario with security and safety high of thoughts and can modify our operation as wanted,” the airline stated in a press release.

contributed to this report.