A Spirit Airlines flight was hit by gunfire as it attempted to land in Haiti, injuring a flight attendant. The aircraft suffered significant damage and was diverted to the Dominican Republic.

Hazardous Landing

Spirit Airlines Flight NK951 was a daily flight from the airline’s hub in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FLL), to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince (PAP).

On November 11th, Flight 951 was preparing to land at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport. As the aircraft approached Runway 28, it was fired upon as it flew over Clercin. This area is located one mile from the airport and is currently a battleground in Haiti’s ongoing gang war.

A source from Haiti’s National Airport Authority noted that they have taken measures to secure the airport’s perimeter but ultimately need more control over the country’s general security situation. That responsibility is delegated to the Haiti National Police.

This is the second incident in the last few weeks involving an aircraft being hit by gunfire while landing in Port-au-Prince. A few weeks ago, a United Nations helicopter was struck while taking off from the airport and was thus forced to return.

Spirit Airlines 951 abandoned any chances of landing in Port-au-Prince and diverted to Santiago de Los Caballeros in the neighboring Dominican Republic (STI). The aircraft, a one-year-old Airbus A320neo registered N966NK, suffered significant damage in the form of bullet holes. 

The flight landed safely in the Dominican Republic and the aircraft remains on the ground. No passengers were injured. However, one flight attendant was grazed by a bullet and was injured.

Photos from the incident show bullet holes inside the aircraft, having permeated parts of the cabin wall and the overhead bins. Some pictures from the outside of the plane show bullet holes in the fuselage.

Service Suspensions

Effective immediately, Spirit Airlines has suspended all flights into Haiti. In addition to Port-au-Prince, the airline also serves Cap-Haïtien (CAP) from Fort Lauderdale.

American Airlines and JetBlue have also canceled flights to Port-au-Prince until Thursday. Flight operations into the airport remain suspended.

Following the incident involving Flight 951, other traffic due to land in Port-au-Prince immediately began turning away. 

An inbound Amerijet 767 from Miami turned right back, an Air Caraïbes A350 from Paris-Orly diverted to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and a Sunrise Airways Embraer 145 from Pointe-a-Pitre diverted to Cap-Haïtien.

Haiti continues to grapple with gang violence that has escalated to new heights recently. This latest flare-up came hours before Haiti was set to swear in a new prime minister. Alix Didier Fils-Aime was sworn in as the country’s new leader after Garry Gonille was ousted.