Latest News

JetBlue will halt flights to Haiti through Dec. 2 after aircraft struck by bullet

JetBlue Airways said late on Monday it will extend a halt to all flights to and from Haiti through Dec. 2 after damage from a bullet to a plane returning from PortauPrince was found.

Earlier on Monday, a Spirit Airlines flight predestined for the Haitian capital was struck by gunfire, requiring it to be diverted to the surrounding Dominican Republic. That occurrence had actually triggered JetBlue and American Airlines to cancel all flights through Thursday.

JetBlue said its Flight 935 showed up later Monday in New York without reporting any concerns however a post-flight assessment later on determined that the aircraft's outside had actually been struck by a bullet.

We are actively examining this occurrence in cooperation with relevant authorities, JetBlue said, mentioning the continuous civil discontent in Haiti in its choice to extend flight cancellations through early December.

Spirit said in a declaration that its plane had been damaged and taken out of commission upon landing in the northern Dominican city of Santiago. A flight attendant was hurt in the incident, while no guests were harmed.

All flights in and out of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince have actually been stopped, the Federal Air Travel Administration and U.S. embassy stated Monday.

The FAA stated two other flights bound for Toussaint were diverted as a preventative measure.

Spirit stated it had actually suspended flights to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, in Haiti's north, pending even more examination.

The guests aboard the Spirit flight on Monday will be reclaimed in another aircraft to Fort Lauderdale, where the flight departed from, Spirit stated.

Armed gangs in Haiti's capital have actually contended airplane in current weeks as the security scenario degrades. Last month, a U.N. helicopter was hit by shooting over Port-au-Prince.

(source: Reuters)