Thursday, 26 December 2024

Spirit Airlines Flight Aborts Landing After Reportedly Sustaining Gunfire

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A Spirit Airlines flight aborted a landing in Haiti on Monday after reportedly being hit by gunfire, injuring at least one flight attendant.

“Earlier this afternoon, Spirit Airlines flight N966NK was struck by several rounds of gunfire while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The plane, which had departed from Fort Lauderdale, was forced to abort its landing and divert to an airport in the Dominican Republic, where it landed safely,” Rawsalerts wrote.

“Reports say are saying at least one flight attendant sustained a minor injury after being grazed by a bullet, and several bullet holes were found in the aircraft. Authorities, including the FAA, are now investigating this alarming incident,” the post added.

WATCH:

From the New York Post:

Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the overhead bins and a plane door in the aftermath, footage obtained by local outlet Media Libre Haiti showed.

The plane, which was en route from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had to be diverted to an airport in the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, all other commercial flights were grounded at the Haiti airport.

The incident unfolded just two weeks after the airline temporarily suspended its flights to Haiti’s capital after gang members opened fire and struck a United Nations’ helicopter flying nearby.

“The safety of our guests and team members is a priority,” the airline said, according to the New York Post.

“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,” Spirit Airlines told Daily Mail.

“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,” it added.

Daily Mail reports:

It’s the second time in just a few weeks that an aircraft traveling over Haiti’s capital is hit by gunfire from gangs.

Last month a United Nations helicopter was hit by bullets and forced to return to the airport as it moved over Port-au-Prince.

Haiti’s ruling presidential council is scheduled to swear in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, on Monday, following Prime Minister Garry Conille’s ousting.

It marks even more turmoil in an already rocky democratic transition process for Haiti, which hasn’t held democratic elections in years in a large part due to the soaring levels of gang violence plaguing the Caribbean nation.

The transitional presidential council was established in April, tasked with choosing Haiti’s next prime minister and Cabinet with the hope that it would help quell turmoil Haiti.

But the council has been plagued with politics and infighting, and has long been at odds with Conille.


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