An airplane of the US airline Spirit Airlines, which was en route from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to Port-au-Prince in Haiti, was hit by gunfire on landing. The incident occurred on Monday and resulted in a flight attendant being slightly injured. The plane was then safely diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Following an inspection of the aircraft, damage was found that was attributable to the gunshots, as reported by the Miami Herald. Fortunately, the passengers were unharmed. In response to the incident, Spirit Airlines has suspended all flights to Haiti for the time being and removed the damaged aircraft from service. The passengers were to be returned to Fort Lauderdale.
Political tensions in Haiti
The incident occurred at a critical time for Haiti, as businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was sworn in as the new head of government on the same day. This political change followed the Haitian Transitional Council's decision to replace the previous Prime Minister Garry Conille after only five months in office. The security situation in Haiti remains tense, which is further underlined by the incident with the plane.