A Spirit Airlines flight traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was forced to make an emergency landing in Santiago, Dominican Republic after its fuselage was struck by gunfire, the airline confirmed.
According to WSVN-Miami, the flight, which took off Monday morning, landed safely in Santiago, where an inspection revealed damage that was consistent with gunfire.
One flight attendant was reported to have sustained minor injuries and received medical attention. Fortunately, no passengers were harmed during the incident.
The aircraft has been grounded for repairs, and Spirit Airlines is arranging an alternate flight to return travelers to Fort Lauderdale. In the wake of the event, the airline temporarily suspended service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien (CAP) while further safety assessments are conducted.
Spirit Airlines flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Port-au-Prince (PAP) diverted and landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI). Following the flight’s arrival at STI, 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 plane has been taken out of service, and we are arranging for a different aircraft to return our Guests and crew to FLL today. 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.
– Statement from Spirit Airlines
JetBlue and American Airlines have also paused flights to and from both Haitian cities as a precautionary measure.
The disruption follows increasing security concerns in Haiti, where the U.S. embassy reported that the country’s main airport had to close temporarily due to escalating gang violence in the area. This continues to strain the region’s travel infrastructure amid growing unrest.
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