First, who is going to Haiti? The nation is a total disaster. The gangs have taken over; there are dead bodies all over Port-au-Prince. It’s not a go-to destination for many individuals. It’s unsafe, with the island nation being a hub of political instability. With it being a lawless failed state, I’m not shocked that airliners were being fired upon.
BREAKING: FAA prohibits US airlines from flying to Haiti and UN suspends flights after plane was shot by gangs - AP
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 12, 2024
NEW: 3rd plane, an American Airlines flight, was hit by gunfire during flight to Haiti, airline says - CNN
— BNO News (@BNONews) November 12, 2024
🚨#BREAKING: A Spirit Airlines flight has been forced to abort a landing at Port-au-Prince airport after being struck by gunfire
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 11, 2024
📌#Haiti | #Caribbean
Earlier this afternoon, Spirit Airlines flight N966NK was struck by several rounds of gunfire while attempting to land in… pic.twitter.com/5oiDPe3KYP
The first incident involved Spirit Airlines, which was about to file for bankruptcy, which got blasted with gunfire, wounding a flight attendant. They weren’t the only ones—American and JetBlue also got peppered with gunfire, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to order airliners and other aircraft not to fly below 10,000 feet over Haitian airspace for 30 days. JetBlue, Spirit, and American Airlines went further and suspended all flights to the island (via USA Today):
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The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice on Tuesday that prohibited U.S. airlines and other civilian aircraft from operating below 10,000 feet in Haitian airspace for 30 days. The advisory comes after jets from three U.S. airlines were struck by gunfire around the airport in Port-au-Prince on Monday.
A Spirit Airlines plane diverted to the Dominican Republic, and one crewmember was injured when it was apparently struck by gunfire while attempting to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday.
Flight NK951 was on its way from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Port-au-Prince when the incident happened, and it safely diverted to Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI).
[…]
A JetBlue flight was also apparently hit by gunfire while departing Haiti on Monday, but it continued safely to New York and the damage was not discovered until after it arrived at JFK, according to the airline.
[…]
American Airlines said one of its planes was also discovered to have been damaged by gunshots after returning from Haiti on Monday, but no injuries were reported.
UPDATE: American Airlines is now suspending daily flights to and from Haiti *for three months* after discovering one of its planes was hit by a bullet.
— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) November 12, 2024
American says it inspected flight 819 from Port-au-Prince after it landed in Miami yesterday. Nobody on board was hurt. pic.twitter.com/KwnLm7A11Q
First, Boeing’s aircraft is falling apart all over the country, and now we have airliners getting blasted by gunfire in Haiti. Again, who goes there? Not even Godzilla would attack Haiti.
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