Spirit Airlines flight hit by gunfire as gang violence shuts down Haiti's main airport
Violence comes on same day that a new interim prime minister was sworn in
Haiti's international airport shut down on Monday after gangs opened fire at a commercial flight landing in Port-au-Prince, prompting some airlines to temporarily suspend operations as the country swore in a new interim prime minister who promised to restore peace.
The Spirit Airlines flight headed from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Port-Au-Prince was close to landing in Haiti's capital when gangs shot at the plane, striking a flight attendant, who suffered minor injuries, according to the airline, the U.S. Embassy and flight tracking data. The flight was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic.
Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane.
The shooting appeared to be part of what the U.S. Embassy called "gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruptions to roads, ports and airports."
Spirit, JetBlue and American Airlines said Monday they were cancelling flights to and from Haiti. Air Transat also said in a statement it has cancelled its Nov. 13 flights between Montreal and Port-au-Prince.
JetBlue Airways said late on Monday it will extend a halt to all flights to and from Haiti through Dec. 2 after damage from a bullet to a plane returning from Port-au-Prince was discovered.
Earlier, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a travel warning saying that the city's airport was shut down due to "gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruptions to roads, ports and airports."
"The U.S. Embassy is aware of a temporary pause in operations at [Toussiant Louverture International Airport] as of Nov. 11," the embassy's statement said. "The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous."
In other parts of Haiti's capital, firefights between gangs and police broke out. Rounds of gunfire echoed through the streets as heavily armed officers ducked behind walls and civilians ran in terror. In other upper-class areas, gangs set fire to homes. Schools closed as panic spread in a number of areas.
New PM sworn in Monday
The turmoil comes a day after a council meant to re-establish democratic order in the Caribbean country fired the interim prime minister, Garry Conille, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The council has been marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.
As he was sworn in, Fils-Aimé said his top priorities were to restore peace to the crisis-stricken country and hold elections, which haven't been held in Haiti since 2016.
"There is a lot to be done to bring back hope," he said before a room of suit-clad diplomats and security officials. "I'm deeply sorry for the people ... that have been victimized, forced to leave everything they own."
The country has seen weeks of political chaos, which observers warned could result in even more violence in a place where bloodshed has become the new normal. The country's slate of gangs have long capitalized on political turmoil to make power grabs, shutting down airports, shipping ports and stirring chaos.
The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85 per of the capital of Port-au-Prince, while a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles with a lack of funding and personnel, prompting calls for a UN peacekeeping mission.
Louis-Henri Mars, executive director of Lakou Lape, an organization working on peace building in violent areas of Haiti, said the political fighting has "allowed the gangs to have more freedom to attack more neighbourhoods in the city and expand their control of Port-au-Prince. Civilians, he fears, will suffer the consequences.
"There will be more lives lost, more internal displacement and more hunger in a country where half the population is on the brink of starvation," he said.
The transitional council was established in April, tasked with choosing Haiti's next prime minister and cabinet, with the hope that it would help quell violence, which exploded after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021.
Transitional council plagued by infighting
The council was meant to pave the way to democratic elections. Gangs have capitalized on that power vacuum to make their own power grabs.
Conille railed against the council's decision to fire him, calling it an illegal overreach of its powers.
"This resolution, taken outside of any legal and constitutional framework, raises serious concerns about its legitimacy and its repercussions on the future of our country," he wrote in a letter.
Organizations, including the Organization of American States, tried and failed last week to mediate disagreements in an attempt to save the fragile transition.
On Monday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric urged all involved in Haiti's democratic transition "to work constructively together," although he stopped short of offering an opinion on the move to oust Conille.
"Overcoming their differences and putting the country first remains critical," he said. "What is important is that Haitian political leaders put the interests of Haiti first and foremost."
With files from CBC News and Reuters
Flight from Florida to Haiti diverted after gunfire hits plane over Port-au-Prince
Caitlin Stephen Hu, Michael Rios and Ivana Kottasová
CNN
Digital
Updated Nov. 11, 2024
Haiti swore in a new prime minister on Monday after a Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire over the country’s capital Port-au-Prince, according to a diplomatic source in the country. The incident resulted in what the airline described as “minor injuries” to one of its crew members.
Spirit said Monday that its flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to Port-au-Prince was diverted and landed in Santiago in the Dominican Republic, where “an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire.”The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The airline said one of its flight attendants reported minor injuries and was being evaluated by medical personnel and that no other injuries were reported. It added that the aircraft has been taken out of service, and Spirit services to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien have been suspended.
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Data reviewed by CNN from FlightRadar24 showed the plane descending to an altitude of 550 feet over Port-au-Prince’s Tabarre neighborhood, just east of the airport, before pulling up quickly and bypassing the runway.
Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s main international airport, has since paused operations following the incident, the diplomatic source told CNN.
The Haitian-based commercial airline Sunrise Airways told CNN that it has suspended flights until further notice. US-based carriers JetBlue and American Airlines have also cancelled flights to and from Haiti until Thursday.
Haiti has been ridden with widespread gang activity and political chaos for nearly a year, with international actors also impacted by direct violence in recent weeks. Last month, a United Nations helicopter was also hit by bullets while flying over Port-au-Prince. And in a separate incident in October, gangs targeted US embassy vehicles with gunfire, later prompting the evacuation of 20 embassy staffers.
In late February and early March, coordinated gang attacks forced the closure of both the airport and main seaport in the Haitian capital, choking off vital supplies of food and humanitarian aid to the Caribbean nation.
Police officers patrol the area during an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)New prime minister
The latest incident comes amid escalating political turmoil, following a vote by Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council to replace Prime Minister Garry Conille after less than half a year in office.
Businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was formally sworn in as Haiti’s new prime minister on Monday at a ceremony attended by various government officials in Port-au-Prince.
He pledged to restore democracy and security across the country, which has been plagued by deadly gang violence for years. “We are in a transition, an immense project. Of course, the essential first project — and one necessary to the success of the transition — is the reestablishment of security!” he declared, drawing applause from those in attendance.
The transitional council tapped Didier Fils-Aimé for the job after eight of its nine voting members signed a declaration on November 8 to replace Conille, who had been in office for less than a year.Read more of the latest international headlines(opens in a new tab)
Copies of the signed declaration were leaked over the weekend and published on the country’s official gazette early Monday.
In a statement shared with CNN on Sunday, council member Fritz Jean said the council reached its decision after considering several issues with Conille’s tenure as prime minister. Among them, Jean said Conille had made decisions without informing the council and took on the duties of the president, such as engaging in diplomatic affairs.
Conille has not yet publicly commented on the resolution. CNN has reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment.
Conille’s predecessor Ariel Henry stepped down earlier this year amid spiraling gang violence.
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