The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a notice on Tuesday banning all flights to Haiti for at least 30 days following three gun attacks on planes flying to the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
The FAA issued its Notice to Air Missions (Notam) after American Airlines confirmed on Tuesday that one of its planes was hit by gunfire after taking off from Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince. The notice prohibited all U.S. civil operation below 10,000 feet in Haitian airspace until at least early December.
American Airlines said the bullet damage to its Flight 819 was discovered during a post-flight inspection after the plane landed safely at Miami International Airport. The airline suspended daily service from Miani to Port-au-Prince through February 12 following the incident.
Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways also reported their planes were struck by bullets after departing from Toussaint Louverture International Airport on Monday.
Spirit Airlines said a flight attendant suffered “minor injuries” from the incident, and is “being evaluated by medical personnel.” The aircraft, which was diverted to the Dominican Republic after it was hit by gunfire, has been temporarily taken out of service.
The JetBlue plane was checked after landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and ground crew discovered bullet impact. The flight crew reported no difficulty handling the plane on its flight from Haiti to New York.
JetBlue suspended service to Haiti through at least December 2 after the incident due to “ongoing civil unrest.” Spirit Airlines suspended flights for at least a week, pending a security review at that time.
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti said on Monday it was “aware 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.”
On Tuesday, the embassy noted that “operations at the Toussaint Louverture airport have been suspended,” and warned “the area around the airport remains unstable and outbreaks of violence near the airport could occur.”
The embassy itself announced it would be “limiting operations” from Wednesday onward, due to “continued violence throughout the city.”
“Please be aware that at this time traveling to the airport in Port-au-Prince is not safe and the commercial airlines may not have agents at the airport to assist you until regular commercial travel starts back up,” the embassy advised travelers.
The U.S. State Department urged the Haitian transitional government, which just sacked Interim Prime Minister Garry Conille, to prioritize public safety.
The transitional government had not issued a statement about the airplane attacks as of Wednesday afternoon. Luis Abinader, president of the neighboring Dominican Republic, immediately denounced the attacks as acts of terrorism on Monday.
