TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Spirit Airlines suspended flights to Haiti after gunfire hit the plane, and injured a crew member. A passenger on flight 951 shared his experience.
A flight attendant on board had reported “minor injuries.” No guest on the airline reported injuries from the incident.
“It was very intense. It was normal until there was a loud bang or crash sound when the bullets hit the fuselage. And then the plane which was cruising into regular landing hit the gas and took altitude and got the heck out of the Port-au-Prince area,” said Kevin Adair, a passenger on the flight.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, they are aware of “gang-led efforts” to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince.
Spirit alongside JetBlue and American Airlines have suspended flights to Haiti due to warnings.
According to NBC News, a JetBlue flight arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport from Port-au-Prince and found evidence during a post-flight inspection that the plane exterior was struck by a round.
The Spirit Airlines flight was from Fort Lauderdale and was heading to Port-au-Prince when it was struck by gunfire. The plane was diverted and landed in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
“The first announcement was from the pilot. He said due to the circumstances on the ground in Haiti, we were going to be diverting to Santiago in the Dominican Republic,” Adair said.
Spirit Airlines suspended flights until Nov. 18 to and from Cap Haitien, Haiti, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Due to the “ongoing civil unrest” flights to and from Haiti through JetBlue will be suspended until at least Dec. 2, JetBlue announced in a Travel Alert.
In a travel alert on the American Airlines website, they announced due to “civil unrest” they have suspended flights to Port-au-Prince as well.
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti advises the public to avoid travel to Haiti at this time.