FAA bans US flights to Haiti for 30 days after planes struck by gunfire
The Federal Aviation Administration has banned U.S. flights to Haiti for 30 days in the wake of Monday's gunfire incidents, according to a Notice to Air Mission issued Tuesday.
"U.S. civil aviation operations in the territory and airspace of Haiti below 10,000 feet" will be prohibited, according to the FAA.
The move comes after a Spirit Airlines plane flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Haiti was diverted after it was struck by gunfire while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, according to the the Haitian National Office of Civil Aviation.
The plane was struck by gunfire four times while attempting to land at Touissant Louverture Airport in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, OFNAC said.
The Spirit Airlines plane "diverted and landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic," Spirit Airlines said in a statement Monday, adding that no passengers reported injuries and one flight attendant onboard the plane reported unspecified "minor injuries" and was undergoing medical evaluation.
The plane came within 550 feet of the runway before aborting its landing and diverting to the Dominican Republic, according to data on FlightRadar24.
The FAA on Monday had confirmed in a statement that the Spirit Airlines flight landed safely in the Dominican Republic "after the plane was reportedly damaged by gunfire while trying to land" at the Port-au-Prince airport.
On Monday, a JetBlue flight from Haiti to New York City was also hit by a bullet, the airline said in a statement to ABC News. JetBlue said it would suspend all flights to and from Haiti through Dec. 2 due to the civil unrest in the country.
American Airlines said Tuesday that one of its planes was hit by gunfire while traveling in Haitian airspace the day before. Flight 819 landed safely in Miami, however, a post flight inspection revealed "the exterior of the aircraft had been impacted by a bullet," the airline said in a statement.
"Our daily service between Miami and Port-au-Prince has now been suspended through Feb. 12. We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed," American Airlines said.
The American Pilots Association also confirmed the bullet hole was found in the American flight.
"APA will remain in close contact with the company about the situation in Haiti, and we will be involved in any decisions by American Airlines and the FAA regarding the resumption of service," the association said in a statement.
ABC News' Aicha El Hammar Castano and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
