After an American Airlines plane was hit by a bullet flying out of Haiti, the airline is ceasing flights to the Caribbean nation indefinitely.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth-based American Airlines has officially suspended its daily service to and from Miami and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The airline’s initial three-month suspension, which would have expired on Feb. 12, was extended for an indefinite period.
The suspension stems from a Nov. 11 incident, where an American Airlines flight was struck by a bullet while departing from Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) in Haiti. American was one of three airlines whose planes were shot at, prompting an order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that prohibited plans from flying to Haiti for 30 days.
A spokesperson with American released the following statement to WFAA following the decision:
“American has made the difficult decision to suspend daily service between Miami (MIA) and Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP). We are proud of our more than 50-year-commitment to Haiti and we will continue to monitor the situation, assessing safety, security, and customer demand, in evaluating a return of service. We will proactively reach out to impacted customers to offer a full refund of their travel itinerary.”
Prior to the suspension, American offered a daily flight between Miami and Port-au-Prince.
Spirit Airlines, who also had a flight struck by gunfire in November upon arrival to Haiti, also suspended flights to the Caribbean nation. Spirit has not announced an extension on its suspension.