Shots Fired at Spirit Flight in Haiti

An airline spokesperson told AirlineGeeks in an emailed statement that one flight attendant had sustained minor injuries.

“Spirit Airlines Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale (KFLL) [in Florida] to Port-au-Prince (MTPP) diverted and landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic (MDST),” the spokesperson said. “Following the flight’s arrival at [MDST], 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 guest injuries were reported.”

The Spirit spokesperson said the Airbus A320neo—registered as N966NK—has been taken out of service, and Spirit is arranging for a different aircraft to return its guests and crew to Fort Lauderdale on Monday.

“The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and we have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince (MTPP) and Cap-Haitien (MTCH) pending further evaluation,” the spokesperson added.

X account Media Libre Haiti posted a video reportedly taken by Spirit crewmembers after the incident showing what appears to be several bullet holes in the aircraft.

The incident marks the second time aircraft in Haiti have faced gunfire. In October, a United Nations helicopter was hit by gunfire over Haiti while carrying three crewmembers and 15 passengers. No one was injured in that incident.

Haiti has undergone violent civil unrest since gangs effectively took over the country earlier this year. A Miami Herald report stated that the incident with Spirit occurred just hours before Haiti’s ruling presidential council was set to swear in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime.

Multiple airlines have canceled flights to the country, including both American and JetBlue.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.