Passengers return to South Florida after Haiti flight disrupted by gunfire
MIAMI - Dozens of travelers who attempted to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday morning have returned to South Florida after their original flight was disrupted by gunfire as it attempted to land.
Their return flight landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shortly after 9 p.m.
Earlier in the day, a Spirit Airlines plane, originally bound for Port-au-Prince, encountered gunfire near Toussaint Louverture International Airport, believed to be from nearby gang members.
The Haiti-bound plane was struck multiple times while it was about 600 feet from the ground, just moments before it was scheduled to land.
Spirit Airlines promptly diverted the flight to Santiago, Dominican Republic, where the plane landed safely around 11:30 a.m.
A Spirit Airlines flight had departed from Fort Lauderdale to Santiago to retrieve the 48 passengers originally bound for Haiti.
In a statement, Spirit Airlines confirmed the aircraft sustained damage consistent with gunfire.
One flight attendant reported minor injuries and is receiving a medical evaluation, while no injuries were reported among passengers.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also responded, directing other flights bound for Port-au-Prince to divert to alternate locations as a precaution.
Toussaint Louverture International Airport is now closed, and flights to and from Haiti have been canceled for the foreseeable future.
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a statement following the incident, advising that "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."
The incident comes amid political unrest following the ousting of Prime Minister Gary Conille.
Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was installed as the new prime minister on Monday afternoon, though the security situation remains uncertain.
In another related incident, officials said a JetBlue flight was also impacted by a bullet. The discovery was made during a post-flight inspection after the plane landed in New York.
