On Monday, November 11, 2024, Spirit Airlines Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, carrying mainly Haitian passengers and some foreigners, was the target of heavy weapons fire and hit by at least 7 bullets, while preparing to land in Haiti at Toussaint Louverture International Airport, according to initial reports.

The pilot, given the seriousness of the situation, made the decision to request authorization to divert for an emergency landing at Cibao International Airport, in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

The plane landed without further complications in the Dominican Republic. The professionalism of the pilot and crew avoided what could have been a tragedy. An initial inspection revealed damage on and in the plane corresponding to at least 7 bullet holes...

The plane has been taken out of service and Spirit is now arranging another plane to take passengers and crew back to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

"The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and we have suspended service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien pending further assessment," a company spokesperson said.

Dominican authorities and civil aviation are already investigating the incident, while keeping a close watch on the possible implications of the air attack.

According to the Miami Herald, a flight attendant was slightly injured, while the rest of the passengers escaped unharmed from what could have been a disaster.

Following this serious incident, the authorities at Toussaint Louverture International Airport have grounded all commercial flights. JetBlue Airways, Air Caraïbes and Amerijet Cargo flights were planning to divert from Haiti.

The Air Caraïbes flight from Paris Orly was diverted to Santo Domingo after the closure of the Port au Prince airport.

The Sunrise Airways flight from Pointe à Pitre was diverted to Cap-Haïtien.

SL/ TB/ PI/ HaitiLibre