Three U.S.-based airline jets were hit by gunfire while flying over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, leading to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halting all U.S. flights to the Caribbean country.
The FAA issued a Notice to Air Mission, or NOTAM, on Tuesday prohibiting U.S. civil aviation operations in Haiti’s territory and airspace below 10,000 feet for 30 days.
This comes as a Spirit Airlines flight destined for the Haitian capital was struck by gunfire on Monday, forcing it to be diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic. A flight attendant sustained what Spirit Airlines described as “minor injuries.”
On Tuesday, JetBlue and American Airlines announced that postflight inspections found their planes also had been shot Monday while departing Port-au-Prince.
During a post-flight inspection, technical personnel at New York’s JFK International Airport noticed that one of JetBlue’s planes had been struck by a bullet during its return flight from Haiti. The bullet did not hit any passengers or personnel or cause critical damage to the aircraft.
“We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities,” JetBlue told CNN, citing “the going civil unrest” for its decision to suspend flights.
The Haitian civil aviation authority also “temporarily suspended” all flights in and out of the country for a week.
New President Sworn in
The incidents come as a transitional council swore in Alix Didier Fils-Aime as the nation’s new prime minister on Monday, succeeding Garry Conille, who lasted six months in the role.
During his swearing-in, Fils-Aimé said his top priorities were to restore peace to Haiti and hold elections, which haven’t been held in the country since 2016.
“There is a lot to be done to bring back hope,” he said before a room of diplomats and security officials. “I’m deeply sorry for the people … that have been victimized, forced to leave everything they own.”
Haiti has been experiencing severe gang violence and political chaos for nearly a year.
International organizations have increasingly been affected—last month, a United Nations helicopter carrying 18 people on board was struck by gunfire over Port-au-Prince, but managed to land safely.
In October, two criminal gangs opened fire on two armored vehicles belonging to the U.S. embassy in Haiti. Though no injuries were reported, the incident prompted the embassy to evacuate 20 “non-emergency” diplomatic staff out of Port-au-Prince.
Earlier this year, coordinated gang actions temporarily shut down the airport and seaport in Port-au-Prince, restricting crucial supplies of food and humanitarian aid from reaching the country.
The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85 percent of Port-au-Prince. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles with a lack of funding and personnel, prompting calls for a U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this article.