Haiti suspends flights in and out of capital after Spirit Airways plane shot down

CNN
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Haiti on Monday swore in a new prime minister after a Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire over the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, according to a diplomatic source in the country.

The incident resulted in what the airline described as “minor injuries” to one of its crew members. All flights to Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport have been suspended until November 18, according to Haiti’s civil aviation authority.

Spirit said Monday that its Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-au-Prince was diverted and landed in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where “an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire.”

The airline said one of its flight attendants reported minor injuries and was evaluated by medical personnel, and that no other injuries were reported. It added that the aircraft has been taken out of service and Spirit services to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien have been suspended.

Data reviewed by CNN from FlightRadar24 showed the plane dropped to an altitude of 550 feet above Port-au-Prince’s Tabarre neighborhood just east of the airport before it quickly picked up and went off the runway.

The Haitian Civil Aviation Authority later Monday shared an alert to flight crews, saying “air traffic is temporarily suspended” at the airport. The announcement, known as a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), came into effect at 2pm local time on Monday and is expected to end next Monday.

Haitian-based commercial airline Sunrise Airways told CNN it has suspended flights until further notice. US-based carriers JetBlue and American Airlines have also canceled flights to and from Haiti until Thursday.

Haiti has been plagued by widespread gang activity and political chaos for nearly a year, with international actors also affected by direct violence in recent weeks. Last month, a UN helicopter was also hit by bullets while flying over Port-au-Prince. And in a separate incident in October, gangs targeted US embassy vehicles with gunfire, later prompting the evacuation of 20 embassy staff.

In late February and early March, coordinated gang attacks forced the closure of both the airport and the main port in the Haitian capital, choking off vital supplies of food and humanitarian aid to the Caribbean nation.

The latest incident comes amid escalating political unrest, following a vote by Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council to replace Prime Minister Garry Conille after less than half a year in office.

Businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was formally sworn in as Haiti’s new prime minister on Monday in a ceremony attended by various government officials in Port-au-Prince.

He promised to restore democracy and security throughout the country, which has been plagued by deadly gang violence for years. “We are in a transition, a huge project. Of course, the essential first project – and a necessary one to succeed in the transition – is to re-establish security!” he declared, receiving applause from the crowd.

The transitional council elected Didier Fils-Aimé to the job after eight of its nine voting members signed a declaration on November 8 to replace Conille, who had been in office for less than a year.

Copies of the signed statement were leaked over the weekend and published in the country’s official gazette early Monday.

In a statement shared with CNN on Sunday, council member Fritz Jean said the council reached its decision after considering several issues with Conille’s tenure as premier. Among them, Jean said Conille had made decisions without informing the council and assumed the duties of the president, such as engaging in diplomatic affairs.

Conille has not yet publicly commented on the decision. CNN has reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment.

Conille’s predecessor Ariel Henry resigned earlier this year amid rampant gang violence.