Two U.S.-based airlines were struck by gunfire Monday while flying in Haiti’s airspace. One plane, a Spirit Airlines flight, was hit by bullets while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince. The second, New York-bound JetBlue Airways Flight 935, was hit after take off. JetBlue discovered it has been shot at only made after the crew arrived safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“While no issues were initially reported by the operating crew, a post-flight inspection later identified that the aircraft’s exterior had been struck by a bullet,” JetBlue Airways spokesman Derek Dombrowski told the Miami Herald. “We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities.”
By the end of the day, all three major U.S. carriers that fly into Haiti had announced cancellations of their daily service into the country. In a notice to pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration said that all traffic into Port-au-Prince’s international airport were temporarily suspended at least until Monday, Nov. 18. Dombrowski said that “due to the ongoing civil unrest in Haiti, we have made the decision to suspend all flights to and from the country through December 2.” Before the discovering of the gunshot, the airline had canceled flights from JFK and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport into Port-au-Prince until Thursday.
“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our customers and crewmembers,” he said “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our plans as necessary.”