FAA bans U.S. flights to Haiti for 30 days after Spirit plane was hit by gunfire

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited flights from the United States to Haiti after a Spirit Airlines flight was damaged by gunfire while trying to land in Port-au-Prince on Monday.

The agency said in a notice Tuesday that all U.S. air carriers and commercial operators were barred from Haiti’s airspace for 30 days “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing security instability.”

Spirit’s Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was struck by gunfire Monday as it approached Toussaint Louverture International Airport and was forced to land in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. One flight attendant was injured, the airline said.

Two other flights bound for Port-au-Prince on Monday were diverted as a precaution, according to FAA spokesperson Steven Kulm. Spirit, American Airlines and JetBlue suspended flights to and from the country. A post-flight analysis of JetBlue Flight 935 from Port-au-Prince to New York showed the exterior had been struck by a bullet, though no issues were reported, according to the airline.

The shooting Monday occurred against a backdrop of political unrest and ongoing gang violence in Haiti.

Gangs have grown more powerful since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

Haiti’s transitional presidential council over the weekend fired interim prime minister Garry Conille, a former official with the U.N. children’s agency, and replaced him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who was sworn in Monday. Conille, a doctor who was appointed prime minister by the council in May, said in an open letter Monday that his ouster contravened legal and constitutional procedures. But in a post on X on Tuesday, he said that he would recognize his successor and sent him his “best wishes for success.”

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Tuesday that the United States took note of the council’s decision to replace Conille but said it was “vital” that the council and the new prime minister “clearly delineate” their roles and responsibilities and “include measures to hold one another accountable as appropriate while preventing further gridlock.”

“The acute and immediate needs of the Haitian people mandate that the transitional government prioritize governance over the competing personal interests of political actors,” Miller said.

The incidents on Monday were the latest in several aviation-related attacks. In late October, a U.N. helicopter was struck by bullets and forced to land in Haiti’s capital. Earlier this year, coordinated gang attacks forced Toussaint Louverture to close for nearly three months.

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti on Monday said that the violence had forced a “temporary pause in operations” at the airport and implied that gangs were responsible. The embassy added that the U.S. government can’t guarantee safety in the country and that any travel there is “at your own risk.” (Source: The Washington Post)