PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — Haiti’s National Civil Aviation Office (OFNAC) and National Airport Authority (AAN) have confirmed that two aeroplanes were hit by bullets when landing at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport on Sunday.

In a joint statement, OFNAC and AAN strongly condemned the act which it said “endangers the lives of passengers and crews and compromises the security of Haitian airspace”.

Zed Airlines SA, which serves Haiti, Latin America and the Caribbean, announced in a press release on Sunday that two of its aircraft were targeted by gunfire on approach to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the capital Port-Au-Prince.

As a result, the airline announced with immediate effect and an indefinite period, the suspension of all its flight operations to Haiti.

In the statement, the airline described the incident as a “force majeure event” that seriously compromised the safety of air operations and that the decision to suspend operations into the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country was made in accordance with international safety standards and the operator’s legal obligations.

Zed Airlines said that the resumption of flights will depend on technical and safety assessments, instructions from the relevant authorities and the conclusions of ongoing investigations.

The airline promised to inform the public of any developments as soon as they are approved by the authorities.

Zed Airlines is a Haitian-based airline company operating flights between Haiti and Brazil and among the aircraft involved in Sunday’s incident is a regional jet, used primarily for commercial flights between the two countries. No casualty figures have been released by the airline or authorities at this time.

Zed Airlines was one of the few carriers still operating regular commercial flights on the Port-au-Prince – Brazil route and last Sunday’s incident has revived memories of the security around the international airport when America’s aviation regulators suspended flights by United States (US) carriers to Haiti after three gun attacks in a day on planes belonging to JetBlue, Spirit and American Airlines in 2024.

Increasingly violent gang warfare has plagued Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

The United Nations (UN) has said thousands of Haitians have been killed and several more have had to flee their homes because of the gangs that have taken over a significant portion of the capital, Port-au-Prince.