US bans flights to Haiti for 30 days after Spirit, JetBlue planes are hit with gunfire

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it will bar U.S. airlines from operating in Haiti for 30 days after two commercial jetliners were struck by gunfire on Monday.

The FAA issued a Notice to Air Mission prohibiting U.S. civil aviation operations in the territory and airspace of Haiti below 10,000 feet for 30 days.

On Monday, a Spirit Airlines flight destined for the Haitian capital was struck by gunfire, forcing it to be diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic, while a JetBlue Airways flight returning from Port-au-Prince was discovered with bullet damage after arriving in New York.

“We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities,” JetBlue said, citing the ongoing civil unrest in Haiti in its decision to extend flight cancellations through early December.

Spirit said in a statement that its plane had been damaged and taken out of commission upon landing in the northern Dominican city of Santiago.

A flight attendant was injured in the incident, while no passengers were harmed.

All flights in and out of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince have been halted, the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. embassy said Monday.

The FAA said two other flights bound for Toussaint were diverted as a precaution.

Spirit said it had suspended flights to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, in Haiti’s north, “pending further evaluation.”

The passengers aboard the Spirit flight on Monday will be taken back in another aircraft to Fort Lauderdale, where the flight departed from, Spirit said.

Armed gangs in Haiti’s capital have shot at aircraft in recent weeks as the security situation deteriorates. Last month, a U.N. helicopter was hit by gunfire over Port-au-Prince.