A Spirit Airlines A plane coming from Florida was fired upon while attempting to land. haitiThe capital, Port-au-Prince, was diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic on Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A flight attendant suffered 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. According to the agency, the airport was closed after the shooting.
a video Posted on social media A bullet hole appears to be visible inside the Spirit aircraft near an exit at the rear of the cabin. The video also shows damage caused to an overhead compartment above a row of seats. Pictures shared of the airport where the plane landed Dominican Republic Show what bullet holes look like on the exterior of the aircraft.
Spirit Airlines Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, just north of Miami, for Port-au-Prince on Monday morning.
According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the flight took off over parts of Haiti and circled around Port-au-Prince. The Airbus A320 was over a neighborhood about 550 feet above the ground when it began climbing rapidly and turned toward Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
“The decision to get out of there, I think it was a very sound decision,” said Robert Sumwalt, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and CBS News transportation safety expert and analyst.
Handout from Cibao International Airport
According to Spirit, the flight landed safely. The airport said there were 48 passengers on board the flight. The airline said the plane was inspected in Santiago and found to have damage caused by the gunfire.
The Association of Flight Attendants, the flight attendants' union, confirmed to CBS News that a flight attendant on the plane suffered minor injuries from debris during the incident. According to Spirit, no passengers were reported injured.
The US Embassy in Port-au-Prince said in a safety warning On Monday it learned of “gang-led efforts” to block travel to and from the capital, which could include “armed violence, and disruption of roads, ports and airports.”
“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” the embassy said. “Travel within Haiti is done at your own risk. The U.S. Government cannot guarantee your safety at airports, borders, or during any onward travel. You should review your personal security situation before traveling anywhere in Haiti. Should be considered.”
Sumwalt said it is important for carriers to understand that events like Monday's could happen at some of their destinations.
“Airlines really need to make sure they understand that these kinds of things can happen in some of these countries where we have political unrest, where we have violence,” Sumwalt said.
Spirit said the plane involved in Monday's incident has been taken out of service. The airline was arranging for a separate aircraft to carry the passengers and crew Return to Fort Lauderdale On Monday.
Following the incident, Spirit and other airlines suspended service to Haiti.
Spirit said its service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti had been suspended “pending further assessment.”
JetBlue said it learned Monday night that one of its planes had also come under fire.
“JetBlue Flight 935 from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, landed safely at JFK Airport, New York. Although no problems were initially reported by the operating crew, post-flight inspection later revealed that the aircraft There was a bullet on the outside.
JetBlue canceled its flights to and from Haiti until December 2. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our plans as necessary,” the carrier said in a statement.
American Airlines said it was suspending flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince until Thursday. “We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our operations as necessary, while keeping safety paramount,” the airline said in a statement.
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Contributed to this report.