The plane was on an internal flight from Havana to the eastern city of Holguin. Built in 1979, the plane was leased from a small Mexican company, Global Air, also known as Aerolineas Damoj. From the supermarket where he works near the airport, Jose Luis, 49, said he could see the plane taking off before it banked and plunged to the ground. "I was friends with the captain, with the co-pilot, with the head flight attendant," said a former Global Air employee, 44-year-old Ana Marlene Covarrubias. Global Air had the necessary permits to lease it, and had passed inspections in November last year, it said.

Source: The Nation Bangkok May 19, 2018 05:48 UTC