Life in much of Haiti’s capital was frozen after the wave of violence, which came to a head when gangs shot a Spirit Airlines airplane Monday, forcing the airport to shut down.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot a Spirit Airlines flight.
The bullets hit the plane when it was about to land Monday in the country’s capital Port-au-Prince, hitting a flight attendant. It was part of a wave of violence that erupted in Haiti as the country swore in its new prime minister after a politically tumultuous process.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Haiti’s main airport remained closed Tuesday, a day after gangs shot a landing airplane and injured a flight attendant when violence erupted as the country swore in its new prime minister in a politically tumultuous transition.
Life in much of Haiti’s capital was frozen after the wave of violence, which came to a head when gangs shot a Spirit Airlines airplane Monday, forcing the airport to shut down. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. A number of airlines suspended flights to Haiti through Thursday, but it was unclear how long closures could drag on.
Neither the former interim prime minister, Garry Conille, nor the newly inaugurated Alix Didier Fils-Aimé commented on the violence.
But Luis Abinader, who as president of the neighboring Dominican Republic has cracked down on Haitian migration, called firing on the airplane terrorism.
“This was a terrorist act; the countries that are following and helping Haiti should declare these armed gangs as terrorist groups,” Abinader said in a news conference.
