A yellow Spirit airlines plane on a runway
A Spirit Airlines plane was struck by gunfire while trying to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and a flight attendant was injured (Pictures: Reuters/X/@_01 Katarina)

A Spirit Airlines plane landing in Haiti was struck by gunfire, leaving a flight attendant wounded.

Flight 951 departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, around 9am on Friday for Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, according to FlightAware. 

Gangs reportedly opened fire at the Spirit plane as Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime entered office with a promise of boosting security in the embattled country.

Spirit confirmed that one of its aircrafts was hit and re-routed to the Dominican Republic. It landed safely at Cibao International Airport in Santiago shortly after 12.30pm.

bullet holes in a Spirit Airlines plane
Armed gangs reportedly opened fire on the Spirit Airlines plane traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince (Picture: X/@_01 Katarina)

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‘One Flight Attendant on board reported minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel,’ an airline representative told NBC News.

‘No Guest injuries were reported.’

The identity of the injured flight attendant is unknown.

Photos showed multiple bullet holes on an overhead bin section and other parts of the aircraft.

Photo zeroing in on two bullet holes in a Spirit Airlines cabin
The incident on Monday occurred just hours before Haiti’s ruling presidential council was set to swear in a new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime (Picture: X/@_01 Katarina)

Passengers were flown back to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport later the same day on a different plane.

The punctured plane has been taken out of service.

Following the incident, the US Embassy in the Haitian capital stated in an alert to American citizens on the flight that 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’.

‘The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,’ read the alert.

Multiple bullet holes on a section of overhead bins on a Spirit Airlines plane
Photo zeroing in on two bullet holes in a Spirit Airlines cabin (Picture: X/@_01 Katarina)

‘Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk. The US government cannot guarantee your safety travelling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel.’

Spirit has suspended flights to Haiti amid an ‘evaluation’ of the incident.

American Airlines has also announced it is suspending flights from Miami to Port-au-Prince, and JetBlue’s website stated it was waiving cancelation fees from Monday to Saturday while ‘anticipating disruptions in Haiti due to civil unrest’.

Armed gangs have fired at aircrafts recently, including at a United Nations helicopter last month. Fils-Aime assumed power over the weekend after Garry Conille lasted as prime minister for only six months.

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