SAA event in Haiti on Mon 11th November 2024

A Spirit Airlines flight traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was diverted to Santiago, Dominican Republic, after the aircraft was struck by gunfire, according to the airline.

Flight 951, which departed Fort Lauderdale Monday morning, landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic following the incident.

An inspection revealed damage consistent with gunfire, according to the airline.

A video shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, showed bullet holes in the emergency exit door and overhead compartments.

“There was confusion. We didn’t know exactly what was going on but the crew was very traumatized,” said a passenger.

One flight attendant sustained minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel. No passengers were injured.

“Then the plane which was cruising into regular landing, hit the gas and took altitude and got the heck out of Port-au-Prince area,” said a passenger.

The plane has been taken out of service, and the airline is arranging for another aircraft to return passengers and crew to Fort Lauderdale.

Spirit Airlines has suspended its service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien (CAP) for further evaluation.

Jet Blue Airlines and American Airlines announced that they will also suspend flights to and from Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien (CAP) for further evaluation.

Spirit Airlines released the following statement:

Spirit Airlines flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Port-au-Prince (PAP) diverted and landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI). 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. 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.

On Monday, the U.S. embassy reported that Haiti’s main airport has been temporarily shut down due to gangs attempting to seize control. political chaos continued as gunfire rang throughout Port-au-Prince, forcing people to run to safety.

The incident on Monday occurred just hours before Haiti’s ruling presidential council was set to swear in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, after ousting Prime Minister Garry Conille in an executive order that was leaked on Sunday and published on the council’s X account early Monday morning.

“What Haiti needs, among many things, is stability, political stability,” said United Nations Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. “It needs political leadership that puts the interest of stability. The interest of humanitarian needs. The interest of a return to law and order, first and foremost.”

Monday evening, 7News was at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as passengers on Flight 951 were making their way through customs.

One passenger, Jean David Desrouleaux, told 7News he did his best to prepare for his business trip to Port-au-Prince, joining WhatsApp group chats, and following Haitian news outlets, to stay safe once he arrived.

“But I did not anticipate being shot at,” said Desrouleaux.

Once the aircraft landed on the runway, he immediately heard gunfire.

“A cracking noise, crack, crack, crack,” said Desrouleaux. “Maybe four, five, six seconds later when the pilot reengaged the engines to gain more altitude, then we realized that we got, we got shot at.”

The U.S. State Department issued a do not travel advisory, asking Americans not to travel to and from Haiti for the time being.