‘Who tf takes Spirit to Haiti?’: Spirit Airlines flight prevented from landing when it’s pelted with bandit bullets

According to CNN, the U.S.-based airline’s planes were hit by gunfire while attempting to land in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. One person belonging to the crew sustained minor injuries in the attack. Flight 951, which was traveling from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-au-Prince, was forced to change course for a safe landing in the Dominican Republic. Once all the engers were safe, an inspection was carried out to determine the level of damage to the plane.

Spirit Airlines told CNN that the findings were “consistent with gunfire” and that the aircraft had been taken out of service. In response to the scary incident, the Haitian civil aviation authority sent out a warning to flight personnel, which said that air traffic operations at the airport would be “temporarily suspended.” The welcomed safety measure is expected to end on Nov. 18. While reactions to the attack have been shared on social media, there have been no official statements from those aboard the flight.

While the danger seems to be over, American Airlines opted to temporarily cancel flights to and from Haiti, with JetBlue deciding to suspend flights to the region until Dec. 2 due to one of its planes returning from Haiti with bullet damage. Although Flight 935 landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York without any reported problems, an inspection revealed that it was hit by a stray bullet while the Spirit plane was being shot at.

The attacks don’t appear to be U.S.-focused, with no particular group claiming the incident ⏤ a common practice among terrorist groups. It is worth noting that gang violence in Haiti has increased after the country’s transitional council swore in businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime as its new prime minister. Ironically, he promised to restore democracy and security in the country during his campaign, so his political tenure has not gotten off to a strong start.

Spirit Airlines has experienced a few setbacks recently, though thankfully none have put any lives in danger. In October, a enger staged its own Mission: Impossible stunt in a terminal that serves budget airline Spirit.

In another incident from 2023, a Spirit Airlines enger  experienced a complete meltdown just before a flight was about to leave the airport. Video footage, which recently made the rounds on social media, showed the woman waving her arms around and shrieking in despair. According to people in the vicinity, she settled down after the plane took off, so no one knows what caused her reaction. Perhaps the woman realized a little too late that she’d chosen an increasingly more questionable airline.