Haiti gangs hit US commercial aircraft with gunfire

Country's main airport remains closed a day after gangs shot at JetBlue and Spirit planes

Police at a checkpoint on the perimeter of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, after US commercial aircraft were hit by gunfire. Reuters

A Spirit Airlines plane and a JetBlue plane were struck by bullets as they approached Haiti’s capital, prompting authorities to close down the main airport of the nation, which is embroiled in a raging gang war. The Spirit flight from Fort Lauderdale was diverted to the Dominican Republic on Monday, with one flight attendant reporting “minor injuries”, the airline said in a statement.

“An inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire,” Spirit said. “No guest injuries were reported.” A JetBlue Airways flight from Haiti to New York was also struck by a bullet on Monday, the company said on Tuesday.

Spirit said it was stopping service to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and the northern city of Cap-Haitien “pending further evaluation.” American Airlines and JetBlue also suspended flights to Haiti, with American attributing it to “civil unrest.”

In a separate statement, the US embassy in Haiti said operations at the country’s main international airport, Toussaint Louverture, had been shut down as a result of “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports.” The FAA said two other US flights bound for the airport in Port-au-Prince were diverted as a precaution.

The incident marks an escalation of violence for the Northern Hemisphere’s poorest nation. More than 4,900 people have been murdered this year in Haiti, the UN says, and over 700,000 have been displaced as gangs seized control of large parts of the country. More than 5.4 million people – about half the population – is going hungry.

The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince. A UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles with a lack of funding and personnel, prompting calls for a UN peacekeeping mission.

The violence comes after a transitional council, tasked with restoring democratic order to Haiti but which hasn't held elections since 2016, decided to fire the country's interim prime minister, Garry Conille, who was often at odds with the council during his six months in office. Despite Mr Conille declaring the move illegal, the council rapidly swore in businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new interim prime minister.