Masses of residents are fleeing a running battle between gang members and police in one of the few neighborhoods of Haiti’s capital that hadn’t already been fully taken over by the gangs.

The airport shut down after gangs opened fire at a Spirit Airlines flight landing in Port-Au-Prince, the U.S. State Department and the airline said.

A coalition of gangs known as Viv Ansanm has been cementing their hold over the country while the political leadership has been wracked by infighting and a long-delayed foreign security mission has made scarce progress.

Haitian residents are fleeing their homes due to the increase in violence in the nation's capital. NBC News' Marissa Parra shares how the recent FAA ban on flights to the country is affecting civilians reliant on non-profit aid from abroad.

Masses of residents fled a running battle Thursday between gang members and police in one of the few neighborhoods of Haiti’s capital that hadn't already been fully taken over by gangs, as violence flared amid political turmoil.

Residents fled a running battle Thursday between gang members and police in one of the few neighborhoods of Haiti’s capital that hadn’t already been fully taken over by gangs, as violence flared amid political turmoil.