Spirit Flight Hit by Gunfire While Trying to Land in Haiti

A Spirit Airlines flight was hit by gunfire while trying to land in Haiti, the airline and federal officials said Monday.

The flight was en route from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince when it had to be diverted to Santiago in the Dominican Republic, Spirit told Newsweek.

Following the flight’s arrival in Santiago, “an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire,” Spirit’s statement said

The Federal Aviation Administration told Newsweek that the flight landed safely at the Santiago De Los Caballeros’ airport at around 11:30 a.m. The FAA confirmed that the plane “was reportedly damaged by gunfire while trying to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-Au-Prince.”

Spirit said that one flight attendant on the plane suffered minor injuries and is being medically evaluated. No passengers were injured. Neither Spirit nor the FAA has confirmed the source of the gunfire.

The plane has been taken out of service, and Spirit is arranging for a different plane to return the passengers and crew to Fort Lauderdale on Monday, according to Spirit’s statement.

The airline added: “The safety of our Guests and Team Members is our top priority, and we have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince (PAP) and Cap-Haitien (CAP) pending further evaluation.”

Additionally, the FAA said that the Toussaint Louverture International Airport “is now closed.”

Newsweek reached out to the Dominican Republic’s national police via email for comment Monday afternoon.

What’s Happening in Port-au-Prince?

Port-au-Prince has been overrun by gangs, and a United Nations expert warned in September that the gangs’ criminal activities are spreading in Haiti.

William O’Neill, U.N. expert on human rights in Haiti, “saw that areas previously not impacted by gang violence are now directly impacted” while on a trip to the Caribbean country.

Over 1,740 people were killed or injured in Haiti from July to September, according to the U.N. This is almost a 30 percent increase from the previous trimester. Most of the reported violence was killings, 1,223 killings to be exact, and gang violence is largely to blame. However, at least 106 extrajudicial killings were carried out by law enforcement.

As of late last month, gangs seized control of 85 percent of Haiti’s capital, which is up from 80 percent, according to The Associated Press.

Gang violence began to spiral out of control after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 by a group of foreign mercenaries. Garry Conille, an experienced international aid official, was appointed as interim prime minister of Haiti in May just before the start of a U.N.-backed mission, led by 400 Kenyan police officers, that targeted Haitian criminals. The mission has struggled with a lack of funding and personnel.

Monday’s incident involving the Spirit flight occurred only a few hours before Haiti’s new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, was scheduled to be sworn into office, The Miami Herald reported.

The replacing of Conille with Fils-Aim by a transitionary council created to reestablish democratic order in Haiti was reported Sunday by the Associated Press a day early, thanks to an unnamed government source who provided the AP with the signed decree.