Airlines suspended flights when Spirit plane was hit by bullets

Several airlines suspended flights to Haiti after a US passenger plane was hit by gunfire while trying to land in Port-au-Prince.

Spirit Airlines Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale in Florida was diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where it landed safely at Santiago Airport.

A flight attendant suffered minor injuries but no passengers were injured in the attack, the second in three weeks to occur on a plane flying over the Haitian capital.

The incident occurred when the new prime minister took office in a country in crisis, which is plagued by armed gangs and escalating violence.

Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said his priority was to “restore security”, according to AFP news agency.

Despite the country’s “difficult circumstances”, he promised to put all his strength, skills and “patriotism to serve the national cause”.

The businessman who was unsuccessful in winning a seat in the Senate in 2015 studied at Boston University. He was appointed by the country’s ruling council after its previous leader, Garry Conillewas fired less than six months into the job.

The Spirit Airlines flight was scheduled to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport shortly before 12:00 (17:00 GMT) when it was attacked.

Unverified video of the incident shared on social media appeared to show several bullet holes in the interior of the plane, where the crew sat during takeoff and landing.

Spirit Airlines said damage “consistent with gunshots” was discovered when the plane was inspected at Santiago airport. The aircraft has been taken out of service, Spirit added.

The airline said it had also suspended flights to Haiti “pending further assessment”.

Two other US airlines, American Airlines and JetBlue, have also suspended flights to Haiti until at least Thursday.

The security situation has worsened in Haiti in recent months. In October, gang members opened fire on a United Nations helicopter, causing several airlines to temporarily cancel flights to the Caribbean country.

A United Nations-backed police delegation, led by officers from Kenya, began in June an effort to regain control from the gangs.

Spirit is a low-cost airline headquartered in Florida, flying throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.