(The Hill) – A Spirit Airlines flight was hit by gunfire in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The flight was headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and was diverted when it was hit.
The airline said Flight 951 landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Spirit Airlines said in a statement that an inspection revealed “evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire.”
One flight attendant on board reported “minor injuries” and is being evaluated by medical personnel. No airline guests reported injuries.
Spirit said it took that plane out of service and was arranging for a different aircraft to return its guests to Florida on Monday.
“The safety of our Guests and Team Members is our top priority, and we have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien pending further evaluation,” Spirit said in a statement.
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince posted on X that it was aware of reports and “possible protest activity and civil unrest in the coming week.” It warned Americans not to travel to Haiti.
The embassy later released a statement to say it was aware of “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince.”
The Touissant L’Overture airport has a “temporary pause in operations,” the U.S. Embassy said.
“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous. Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk. The U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety traveling to airports, borders or during any onward travel,” the embassy said.
The violence comes a day after the transitionary council created to reestablish democratic control in Haiti signed a decree firing interim Prime Minister Garry Conille. He was replaced with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, continuing the rocky democratic transition for the country that’s been plagued by gang violence, The Associated Press reported.
