Airlines are suspending flights to Haiti after a Spirit plane was hit by gunfire

• A Spirit Airlines flight to Haiti was hit by gunfire on Monday.
• JetBlue also said it found a plane that left Haiti was hit by a bullet.
• Flights to Port-au-Prince were subsequently suspended for at least a week.

Flights to Haiti have been suspended after bullets hit planes operated by Spirit Airlines and JetBlue.

Monday's Spirit Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale was on approach to Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, before diverting to the neighboring Dominican Republic, according to data from FlightAware.

Images circulating on social media appeared to show bullet holes in the interior and exterior of the Airbus A320neo.

The BBC reported that a flight attendant suffered minor injuries, but no passengers were hurt.

"An inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire," Spirit said in a statement shared with The Guardian. It added that the flight landed safely and was taken out of service.

Also on Monday, a JetBlue flight leaving Port-au-Prince was shot. In a statement shared with Business Insider, the airline said Flight 935 landed safely in New York, but an inspection "later identified that the plane's exterior had been struck by a bullet."

JetBlue said it was investigating the incident in collaboration with authorities and has suspended all flights to and from Haiti through December 2. "Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our customers and crewmembers," it added.

According to a notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, all flights to and from Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince were temporarily suspended for a week.

American Airlines said in a statement to BI that its daily service from Miami to Port-au-Prince has been suspended until next Monday due to the airport closure. "We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed," it added.

Spirit did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI outside US working hours. It has issued a travel alert waiving change fees for flights to and from Haiti through next Monday.

The US Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert on Monday warning people not to travel to the country. It said it was "aware of gang-led efforts" to block travel to and from the capital.

Read the original article on Business Insider