Wednesday, 13 November 2024
by BD Banks
With gang violence in Haiti running rampant since an armed rebellion forced Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign last spring, most airlines have canceled routes to the country.
That said, some air carriers had continued to schedule flights to the capital, Port-au-Prince, from the U.S. for members of the Haitian diaspora and those traveling there for business.
And Royal Caribbean continues to enable its cruise ships to stop at the company’s private resort on the island, which is several hours away from the capital.
But a recent incident with Spirit Airlines (SAVE) shows that flying there might be proving increasingly untenable.
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On Nov. 11 a Spirit plane flying into Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport from Florida’s Fort Lauderdale was hit with gunfire while attempting to land.
The pilot was able to divert Flight 951 to Santiago in the Dominican Republic despite being just 550 feet away from the runway (the two countries are part of the same island of Hispaniola) and the plane landed safely. One flight attendant suffered minor injuries.
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The Spirit plane was taken out of commission after “evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire,” Spirit said in a statement. “The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and we have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince (PAP) and Cap-Haitien (CAP) pending further evaluation.”
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The Associated Press reports that the gunfire occurred between rival gangs attempting to block the ascension of Alix Didier Fils-Aime as the new prime minister as well as to prevent entry of foreigners into the country.
After the Spirit plane was hit by gunfire, Spirit and other airlines that continued to offer limited service to Haiti, like American Airlines (AAL) and JetBlue (JBLU) , also canceled flights.
JBLU said that one of its planes coming into Port-au-Prince from New York City on the same day was also hit. A bullet penetrated the aircraft’s interior and was discovered when the plane landed.
“While no issues were initially reported by the operating crew, a post-flight inspection later identified that the aircraft’s exterior had been struck by a bullet,” a JetBlue spokesperson said in a statement. “We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities.”
JetBlue also said that it was suspending service to Haiti until Dec. 2 as a precautionary measure.
Toussaint Louverture International Airport is closed until at least Nov. 18 amid the spike in civil unrest.
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is currently holding emergency meetings to discuss a total ban on U.S. carriers flying into Haiti.
Since the start of the unrest, the State Department has classified Haiti as a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” destination.
“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” the U.S. Embassy in Haiti said in a new advisory issued in response to the plane incidents. “Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk.”
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