Flights through the capital of Haiti have been grounded following an incident where a Spirit plane was shot at. As the plane flew over Port-Au-Prince, it suffered what the crew referred to as “minor injuries” to one of the crew members. The flight from Florida was diverted to Santiago in the Dominican Republic.
The airplane has reportedly been taken out of service after an inspection showed “damage consistent with gunfire.” Following the incident, the Haitian civil aviation authority issued a warning to personnel on Monday saying air traffic operations were suspended.
The notice to airmen (NOTAM) went into effect at 2:00 p.m. and is expected to end Monday.
Multiple airlines, including Haitian-based Sunrise Airways, American and JetBlue, are suspending flights until further notice. This event comes after rampant political and gang-related violence in the last year.
Just in the last month, a United Nations helicopter was also fired at by gun while flying above the capital. In February and March of this year, gang attacks also caused the air and seaports to be closed in Port-Au-Prince, which cut off food and humanitarian aid supplies to the nation.
The nation’s traditional council faults these gangs for the gunshots at the planes. They vow to bring the suspects to justice, saying they aim to “isolate our country on the international stage.”
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has spoken out saying prohibited access to the capital will only mean “limiting the flow of humanitarian aid and humanitarian personnel into the country”. The gangs terrorizing Haiti with organized violence have slowly pushed Haiti to the brink of famine.
A fleet of 20 truck loaded with food and medical provisions has been postponed, and so has an event planned to supply cash assistance to 1,000 people following an outburst of violence.
Dujarric said:
“We are doing all we can to ensure the continuation of operations amidst this challenging environment. We call for an end to the escalating violence, to allow for safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access.”
On Tuesday after the incident, armed police checked public transport trucks that passed by. Banks and government officers were closed as well as schools. The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital.
While the halting of flights stops innocent passengers from being harmed, it also prevents the importing of vital supplies that citizens need.
HU business major Sy’Mira Camron said:
“I think stopping them [flights] was a rash decision, I believe they could’ve rerouted or found other ways to get them what they need: supplies like food and medicine. Those [supplies] are important, even more so now with all the violence.”
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