Gunfire hit a Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) flight to Haiti on Monday, injuring a crew member, and may have struck a separate flight from the country as the State Department warned of “gang-led efforts” to stop travel to the Caribbean nation.
Spirit confirmed in a statement that one of its flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was diverted to the Dominican Republic on Monday. It said an inspection of the aircraft showed damage consistent with gunfire.
“One Flight Attendant on board reported minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel,” the statement said. “No Guest injuries were reported.”
Spirit said that it is suspending its services to Haiti pending “evaluation” of the incident and that the plane was being taken out of service for the time being. A return flight to Florida is being arranged for members of the crew and the passengers who were diverted to the Dominican Republic.
The U.S. State Department subsequently issued an alert warning of “gang-led efforts” to stop travel to Haiti and cautioning Americans not to go there.
Also on Monday, a post-flight inspection of the exterior of a JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) aircraft used for a trip from Port-au-Prince to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport turned up evidence that it had been struck by a round, the airline said in a statement.
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