Haitian police officers take positions as they exchange gunfire with alleged gang members in Port-au-Prince on November 11, 2024.Photo by Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Images

Haiti’s main airport shuts down as commercial flight hit with gang gunfire

In other parts of Haiti's capital Port-Au-Prince, firefights between gangs and police broke out as the country swore in a new interim prime minister

by · National Post

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s international airport shut down on Monday after gangs opened fire at a commercial flight landing in Port-Au-Prince, prompting some airlines to temporarily suspend operations as the country swore in a new interim prime minister who promised to restore peace.

The Spirit Airlines flight headed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-Au-Prince was just hundreds of feet from landing in Haiti’s capital when gangs shot at the plane striking a flight attendant, who suffered minor injuries, according to the airline, the U.S. Embassy and flight tracking data. The flight was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic.