PUERTO RICO, August 26, 2011.- The first commercial and direct flight between Puerto Rico and Cuba that took place on Friday, re-established an air connection that had been closed for nearly half a century, due to the US economic and commercial blockade of Cuba. The ATR-70 plane with the American Eagle Company connected San Juan and Santiago de Cuba. This air connection has been the subject of many comments, since some believe that any American citizen may travel to Cuba as a tourist, but it is not that easy due to the US economic blockade imposed on the island by the United States. CTS representative Elizza Cabezas said that the process to get a visa and the permit to travel to Cuba from the US State Department takes about six weeks. The passengers of this first flight, which included people of Cuban origin that are visiting relatives and other nationals, will return to Puerto Rico on Monday, which constitutes a first step in the setting up of an air bridge between the two sister Caribbean nations. The president of the Solidarity-with-Cuba Committee Milagros Rivera recalled that the United States prohibits Puerto Ricans and other US citizens to travel freely to Cuba. “We know that our people will continue to break the blockade and the travel ban because we have proven that solidarity cannot be blocked and therefore we have resorted to different strategies to bring solidarity to Cuba.” (Cubaminrex-RHC) |