Haiti: Airlines suspend flights after Spirit plane hit by gunfire

Several airlines have suspended flights to Haiti after a US passenger plane was hit by gunfire as it tried to land in Port-au-Prince.

Spirit Airlines Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida was diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where it landed safely at Santiago Airport.

A flight attendant suffered minor injuries but no passengers were injured in the attack, the second in three weeks involving planes flying over Haiti’s capital.

The incident comes as a new prime minister took office in the crisis-hit country, which is plagued by armed gangs and escalating violence.

Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said his priority was “restoring security”, according to AFP news agency.

Despite the country’s “difficult circumstances,” he vowed to put all his energy, skills and “patriotism at the service of the national cause.”

The businessman, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Senate in 2015, studied at Boston University. He was installed by the country’s ruling council 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 12:00 (5:00 PM GMT) 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 US, the Caribbean and Latin America.