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Spirit said Monday that its Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-au-Prince was diverted and landed in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where “an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire.”
The airline said one of its flight attendants reported minor injuries and was being examined by medical staff and that there were no other injuries. It added that the aircraft has been withdrawn from service and Spirit services to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien have been suspended.
Data reviewed by CNN from FlightRadar24 showed the plane descending to an altitude of 550 feet over the Tabarre neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, east of the airport, before quickly pulling away and circling the runway.
Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Haiti’s main international airport, has since been suspended following the incident, a diplomatic source told CNN.
Haiti-based commercial airline Sunrise Airways told CNN it has suspended flights until further notice. US carriers JetBlue and American Airlines have also canceled flights to and from Haiti until Thursday.
Haiti has been wracked by widespread gang activity and political chaos for nearly a year, and international actors have also been hit by direct violence in recent weeks. Last month, a United Nations helicopter was also hit by bullets while flying over Port-au-Prince.
And in a separate incident in October, gangs fired on US embassy vehicles, which later led to the evacuation of 20 embassy staff.
In late February and early March, coordinated gang attacks forced the closure of the Haitian capital’s airport and main seaport, choking off vital supplies of food and humanitarian aid to the Caribbean nation.
Haiti is preparing for an influx of foreign forces as local populations flee violence
The latest incident comes amid political turmoil, following a vote by Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council to oust Prime Minister Garry Conille after less than half a year in office.
According to a government statement, the governing council signed a declaration on November 8, removing Conille from his post and appointing businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new prime minister.
Conille’s predecessor, Ariel Henry, resigned earlier this year amid rising gang violence.
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