The Federal Aviation Administration has banned all U.S. airlines and commercial operators from conducting flights into Haiti for the next month, after a Spirit Airlines and JetBlue flight were struck by gunfire at Haiti’s Port-au-Prince airport Monday as the country reels from a surge in gang violence.
A Spirit Airlines that departed from Florida was struck by gunfire Monday while attempting to land ... [+]
U.S. airlines and commercial operators are banned from flying below 10,000 feet in Haiti for at least the next thirty days, the FAA announced Tuesday.
The FAA’s prohibition has limited exceptions for emergency situations “requiring immediate decision and action for the safety of the flight.”
The ban on flights into Haiti was issued after a Spirit airlines flight was struck by gunfire four times while attempting to land at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport on Monday, the same day a JetBlue flight bound for New York was also struck by a bullet at the airport.
JetBlue canceled flights to Haiti until Dec. 2 while Spirit canceled flights to the country pending an investigation of the gunfire that struck its plane.
Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Haiti’s busiest airport, was shut down Monday and has remained closed Tuesday, according to PBS News.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.