Airlines cancel flights to Haiti after gunfire hits Spirit airplane over Port-au-Prince

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

A Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire Monday over Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, according to diplomatic source in the country, resulting in what the airline described as “minor injuries” to one of its crew members. Spirit said Monday that its flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to Port-au-Prince was diverted and landed in Santiago in the 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 being 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 descending to an altitude of 550 feet over Port-au-Prince’s Tabarre neighborhood, just east of the airport, before pulling up quickly and bypassing the runway. Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s main international airport, has since paused operations following the incident, the diplomatic source told CNN. The Haitian-based commercial airline Sunrise Airways told CNN that it has suspended flights until further notice. US-based carriers JetBlue and American Airlines have also cancelled flights to and from Haiti until Thursday.