JetBlue will halt flights to Haiti through Dec. 2 after aircraft struck by bullet
Adds statement from JetBlue, background on recent incidents in paragraphs 4-10
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) -JetBlue Airways JBLU.O 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 Port-au-Prince was discovered.
Earlier on Monday, aSpirit Airlines SAVE.N flight destined for the Haitian capital was struck by gunfire, forcing it to be diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic. That incident had prompted JetBlue and American Airlines AAL.O to cancel all flights through Thursday.
JetBlue said its Flight 935 arrived later on Monday in New York without reporting any issues but a post-flight inspection later identified that the aircraft’s exterior had been struck by a bullet.
"We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities," JetBlue said, citing the ongoing civil unrest in Haiti in its decision to extend flight cancellations through early December.
Spirit said in a statement that its plane had been damaged and taken out of commission upon landing in the northern Dominican city of Santiago. A flight attendant was injured in the incident, while no passengers were harmed.
All flights in and out of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince have been halted, the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. embassy said Monday.
The FAA said two other flights bound for Toussaint were diverted as a precaution.
Spirit said it had suspended flights to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, in Haiti's north, "pending further evaluation."
The passengers aboard the Spirit flight on Monday will be taken back in another aircraft to Fort Lauderdale, where the flight departed from, Spirit said.
Armed gangs in Haiti's capital have shot at aircraft in recent weeks as the security situation deteriorates. Last month, a U.N. helicopter was hit by gunfire over Port-au-Prince.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Lincoln Feast.
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