Havana, August 10 (RHC-ACN)-- Cuba is in fifth place in air control operations in the area of the Caribbean, Central and South America, surpassed only by countries like Argentina and Brazil.

In statements to the press, Operations Director with the National Air Navigation Company Ricardo Martinez Gonzalez noted that almost all of the air traffic from Central and South America on route to Florida and other main U.S. airports pass over Cuba.

According to the expert, “Cuba broke the barrier of 300,000 annual operations in traffic control in the last five years and this year the island surpassed the figure of 350,000 controlled flights -- over 800 daily and with peaks that surpass the 1000 mark.”  He pointed out that the International Civil Aviation Organization has predicted a growth rate for the country of three percent compared to 2016.

The air traffic controllers guarantee the safety of the aircrafts when they land, takeoff and fly over Cuban airspace, aided by a radar network; its main function is to prevent collisions between aircraft, guarantee the direct flow, free and safety of the flights.