Gunfire hits Spirit Airlines flight arriving in Haiti, prompting flight cancellations

A Spirit-Airlines flight was struck by gunfire Monday morning while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The aircraft, which left from Fort Lauderdale, was diverted to an airport in the Dominican Republic where it landed safely.

In response to the incident, both JetBlue Airways and American Airways told the Herald that they have canceled all flights into Port-au-Prince at least until Thursday. Spirit Airlines also announced cancellations.

“We have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien pending further evaluation,” a Spirit Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson confirmed the incident, which occurred as Spirit Airlines flight 951, out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, was approaching Toussaint Louverture International Airport from the east. No passengers were injured, but a flight attendant received minor injuries, the spokesperson said. The airplane was diverted and landed safely in Santiago in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

“An inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire,” the spokesperson said.

“The plane has been taken out of service, and we are arranging for a different aircraft to return our guests and crew to” Fort Lauderdale, the spokesperson added. “The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority.”

Jean-David Desrouleaux, a Miami resident and passenger aboard the flight, said the aircraft’s wheels were already down when “we could hear clack, clack, clack...the metal inside the plane and the plastic just cracking.”

“A few of us understood what was happening,” he said, noting the flight was partially full and as they sensed the plane pressure changing they knew they had been shot at. The pilot, he said, then circled the Port-au-Prince airport before decided to head to Santiago to land.

The aircraft was about a mile from the airport and was crossing above Clercin, one of the battlegrounds in the country’s ongoing gang war, when it was fired upon, a source with the National Airport Authority said. The source noted that the National Airport Authority has taken measures to secure the perimeter of the airport but has little control over the general security situation of the country, which remains the responsibility of the Haiti National Police.

The incident forced the airport authority at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti’s capital to ground all commercial flights. Flight tracking showed both JetBlue Airways and Amerijet Cargo planes turning away from Haiti. Port-au-Prince bound Air Caraibes was diverted to Santo Domingo. A New York-bound JetBlue Airways flight that was preparing to take off did depart for John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration also issued a notice to all pilots that all traffic operations into Port-au-Prince’s international airport were temporarily suspended.

“With safety our top priority, we have canceled flights to and from Haiti starting Monday afternoon through Thursday and will continue to monitor the situation to determine if additional cancellations may be required,” JetBlue Airways Derek Dombrowski said.

Amanda Maldonado, a spokeswoman with American, also confirmed that “as a result of the unrest in Port-au-Prince,” the airlines has suspended service between Miami International Airport and Toussaint Louverture International Airport through Thursday. “We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” she said.

The incident marks the second time in the last few weeks that an aircraft traveling over Port-au-Prince airspace was struck by gunfire from armed gangs. Last month, a United Nations helicopter was struck by gang gunfire and forced to return to the airport. No one was injured.

The incident on Monday occurred just hours before Haiti’s ruling presidential council was set to swear in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, after ousting Prime Minister Garry Conille in an executive order that was leaked on Sunday and published on the council’s X account early Monday morning.