After Spirit and JetBlue aircraft were hit by gunfire on Monday while landing in Port-au-Prince, the FAA has prohibited U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days.
The FAA order also prohibits operations in Haitian airspace below 10,000 feet.
Spirit, JetBlue and American are the three U.S. carriers that serve Haiti. Spirit has suspended its service from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince and to Cap-Haitien indefinitely, pending further evaluation.
On Nov. 11, a Spirit flight traveling between Fort Lauderdale and Port-au-Prince was forced to divert to the Dominican Republic after being hit by gunfire as it prepared to land. One flight attendant sustained minor injuries, Spirit said. No Spirit customers were injured.
The plane has since been taken out of service.
JetBlue operated its flight from Port-au-Prince to JFK on Nov. 11 without noticing an incident. However, a post-flight inspection of the aircraft revealed that it had been struck by a bullet.
"We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities," JetBlue said.
Haiti has been gripped by lawlessness, gang violence and unrest since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The gunfire incidents took place on the same day that Haiti named its latest prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince is anticipating continued civil unrest over the course of this week.