Spirit Airlines flight from Florida to Haiti hit by gunfire while trying to land, diverts to Dominican Republic
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A Spirit Airlines flight from Florida was hit by gunfire while trying to land in Haiti‘s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Monday and diverted to the neighboring country of the Dominican Republic, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A flight attendant sustained minor injuries during the incident.
Two other flights bound for Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport were diverted as a precaution, the FAA said in a statement.
Spirit Airlines Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, just north of Miami, on Monday morning, bound for Port-au-Prince.
Dominican Republic.
The flight landed safely, according to Spirit. In Santiago, the aircraft was inspected, and damage consistent with gunfire was found, the airline said.
A flight attendants union, the Association of Flight Attendants, confirmed to CBS News that a flight attendant on the plane sustained minor injuries from debris during the incident. No passenger injuries were reported, according to Spirit.
Following the incident, Spirit and other airlines suspended service to Haiti.
Spirit said its service at Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien in northern Haiti was suspended “pending further evaluation.”
American Airlines said it was suspending flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince through Thursday. “We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed,” the airline said in a statement.
JetBlue canceled its flights to and from Haiti through Thursday. “We will continue to monitor the situation to determine if additional cancellations may be required,” the carrier said in a statement.
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Kris Van Cleave
contributed to this report.
Alex Sundby
Source: cbsnews.com