FAA bans all US flights to Haiti after 2 commercial jets hit by gunfire

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION HAS ANNOUNCED A BAN ON ALL U-S FLIGHTS TO HAITI FOR AT LEAST 30 DAYS FOLLOWING TWO U-S COMMERCIAL AIRLINE JETS BEING HIT BY GUNFIRE MONDAY FROM GANGS IN PORT-AU-PRINCE.

IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS, A SPIRIT AIRLINES JET AND JETBLUE FLIGHT WERE STRUCK BY BULLETS AT HAITI’S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN PORT-AU-PRINCE.

BOTH FLIGHTS WERE DIVERTED AS A RESULT.

NO PASSENGERS WERE HURT IN THE INCIDENT’S BUT A FLIGHT ATTENDANT SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES ON THE SPIRIT FLIGHT.

IN THE WAKE OF THE VIOLENCE, JETBLUE CANCELED ALL FLIGHTS TO HAITI MONDAY THROUGH DECEMBER 2ND– CITING “ONGOING CIVIL UNREST.”

SPIRIT AIRLINES ANNOUNCED MONDAY IT’S SUSPENDING FLIGHTS TO HAITI PENDING AN “EVALUATION” OF THE INCIDENT.

SPIRIT ARRANGED A RETURN FLIGHT TO THE U-S AFTER THE JET SAFELY LANDED IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

TUESDAY’S F-A-A ORDER APPLIES TO ALL OPERATORS OF AIRCRAFTS REGISTERED IN THE U-S EXCEPT WHEN THE OPERATOR OF THE FLIGHT IS A FOREIGN AIR CARRIER.

EXCEPTIONS WILL ONLY BE MADE FOR EMERGENCIES AND FLIGHTS PERMITTED BY THE U-S GOVERNMENT WITH F-A-A APPROVAL.

WITH ONGOING GANG VIOLENCE, THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT RATES HAITI AS LEVEL FOUR “DO NOT TRAVEL” DESTINATION.

CALLING THE SECURITY SITUATION IN HAITI, “UNPREDICATABLE AND DANGEROUS.”

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M LAUREN TAYLOR.