FAA bans flights to Haiti after gunfire hits commercial aircraft

The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday stopped all U.S. flights from operating in or around Haiti for the next 30 days after two commercial flights were damaged by gunfire. Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Haiti’s largest airport in Port-au-Prince, closed on Monday when gangs attempted to lock down the capital city, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti said. Violent local gangs were blocking traffic both in and out of the capital city by disrupting roads, airports, and maritime ports, according to the Monday statement. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti planned to limit operations and canceled all American citizen services and visa appointments in response to the rising violence, according to another Monday statement.

How were flights damaged by gunfire? A commercial flight by Spirit Airlines from Florida was preparing to land at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport when gang members opened fire on the airbus. Photos showed scattered bullet holes inside the plane, and one flight attendant was injured, according to the Associated Press. The flight diverted and safely landed in the Dominican Republic. A JetBlue flight took off from Port-au-Prince on Monday and also suffered damage from a bullet strike on the exterior of the plane, which was discovered after the aircraft landed safely in New York, JetBlue told WORLD. The flight crew did not report any issues during the flight itself, and the company is investigating the incident along with authorities, the statement added.

How is the Haitian government responding to the violence? The FAA shutdown came the same day that the U.S. State Department formally recognized the country’s new prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who was appointed by Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council on Monday. The United States encouraged the council and the new prime minister to release a joint plan for improving security and governance on the unstable island.

Gangs seized control of the capital earlier this year by overrunning police stations and freeing over 4,000 inmates from Haiti’s two largest prisons. Kenyan forces launched an international security support mission backed by the United States and the United Nations in June. However, violence continued plaguing the island and gangs now control a majority of the capital city according to the UN.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report for more on Alix Didier Fils-Aimé’s appointment on Monday.