Haiti: Airlines suspend flights after Spirit plane hit by gunfire

Haiti is in the grip of a deep political crisis, with armed gangs controlling large parts of the country.

A new prime minister was installed by the country’s ruling council on Monday after the previous leader, Garry Conille, had been in office for less than six months.

The Spirit Airlines flight was due to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport just before noon local time (5pm GMT) on Monday when it was hit.

An unverified video of the incident shared on social media appeared to show several bullet holes inside the plane, where the crew sat during takeoff and landing.

Spirit Airlines said damage “consistent with gunfire” was found when the plane was inspected at Santiago airport. The aircraft was taken out of service, Spirit added.

The airline said it had also suspended flights to Haiti “pending further review”.

Two other U.S. airlines, American Airlines and JetBlue, have also suspended flights to Haiti until at least Thursday.

The security situation in Haiti has further deteriorated in recent months. In October, gang members opened fire on a UN helicopter, forcing some airlines to temporarily cancel flights to the Caribbean country.

In June, a UN-backed police mission led by officers from Kenya had begun in an attempt to regain control from gangs.

Spirit is a low-cost airline based in Florida that flies throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.