Havana to let US use Cuban air space for evacuating Haiti victims

The Cuban government has agreed to let the US military use restricted Cuban air space for medical evacuation flights carrying Haitian earthquake victims, sharply reducing the flight time to Miami, a US official said Friday.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said a deal had been reached allowing evacuation flights from the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to pass over the communist-ruled island on the way to Florida. The deal would shorten the flight time by 90 minutes on trips that normally are routed around Cuba. (Reuters)