Haiti flights suspended after Spirit Airlines plane shot

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Flights to and from Haiti have been suspended after bullets hit planes operated by three US airlines: Spirit, JetBlue, and American.

Following reports of planes being hit by bullets, the Federal Aviation Authority on Tuesday issued an order to US airlines prohibiting them from flying below 10,000 feet over Haitian airspace for the next month. The order effectively bans flights to and from the island nation by US carriers.

The FAA's notice did not explicitly mention the gunfire incidents but said the prohibition was due to "safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing security instability."

Monday's Spirit Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale was on approach to Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, before diverting to the neighboring Dominican Republic, according to data from FlightAware.

Images circulating on social media appeared to show bullet holes in the interior and exterior of the Airbus A320neo.

The BBC reported that a flight attendant suffered minor injuries, but no passengers were hurt.

"An inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire," Spirit said in a statement shared with The Guardian. It added that the flight landed safely and was taken out of service.

Also, on Monday, a JetBlue flight leaving Port-au-Prince was shot. In a statement shared with Business Insider, the airline said Flight 935 landed safely in New York, but an inspection "later identified that the plane's exterior had been struck by a bullet."

JetBlue said it was investigating the incident in collaboration with authorities. Prior to the FAA's order, it said it had suspended all flights to and from Haiti through December 2. "Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our customers and crewmembers," it added.

On Tuesday, American Airlines said it was pausing its daily flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince until February 2025 after discovering that a bullet had struck the plane during its Monday flight.

"We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed," American told Business Insider in a statement.

Prior to the FAA's 30-day ban on US airlines operating in Haiti, it said that all flights to and from Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince had been suspended for a week.

Spirit did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

The US Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert on Monday warning people not to travel to the country. It said it was "aware of gang-led efforts" to block travel to and from the capital.