Two US aircraft were hit by bullets over Haiti

Two US airliners were hit by bullets Monday local time while flying over Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, prompting Haitian authorities to suspend all flights in and out of the capital due to escalating gang violence.

A Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, resulting in what the airline described as “minor injuries” to one crew member.

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The aircraft has been withdrawn from service and Spirit service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien has been suspended, the airline said.

Later on Monday, the Haitian Civil Aviation Authority distributed an alert to flight personnel, saying “air traffic operations have been temporarily suspended” at the airport. The notice, known as a notice to airmen (NOTAM), came into effect at 2pm local time on Monday (6am Tuesday AEDT) and is expected to end on November 18.

In response to the Spirit incident, US carriers JetBlue and American Airlines temporarily canceled flights to and from Haiti.

In a later statement, JetBlue extended the flight suspension until Dec. 2, saying bullet damage had been observed on one of its planes returning from Haiti.

JetBlue Flight 935 landed at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport without any of the initially reported problems, but a post-flight inspection later found that the exterior of the plane had been hit by a bullet, the airline said.

“We are actively investigating this incident in cooperation with the appropriate authorities,” JetBlue said, citing “ongoing civil unrest” as the reason for its decision to suspend flights.

The incidents occurred on the same day that Haiti’s transitional council swore in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who promised to restore democracy and security to the country.

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.

Fils-Aimé was officially sworn in as Haiti’s new prime minister on Monday local time in a ceremony attended by various government officials in Port-au-Prince.

“We are in a transition, a huge project. Of course, the key first project – and necessary for the success of the transition – is the re-establishment of security!” Fils-Aimé declared at the ceremony, drawing applause from those present.

The transitional council chose Fils-Aimé for the job after eight of the nine voting members signed a statement on November 8 to replace Garry Conille, who had been in office for less than a year. Copies of the signed declaration were leaked over the weekend and published in the country’s official newspaper early Monday.

In a statement shared by CNN on Sunday, council member Fritz Jean said the council made the decision after considering several issues related to Conille’s tenure as prime minister. Among them, Jean said Conille made decisions without informing the council and assumed the duties of the president, such as participating in diplomatic affairs.

SAD said it looks forward to working with Fils-Aimé and the council. But State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also warned that Haiti’s transitional government should prioritize governance over the “competing personal interests of political actors.”

On Tuesday, Conille confirmed Fils-Aimé’s appointment and wished him success. “At this crucial moment, unity and solidarity are key for our country. Long live Haiti!” he wrote on X.

Conille’s predecessor, Ariel Henry, resigned earlier this year amid rising gang violence.