Flying ghosts before making mothers happy
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agricultural specialists inspected the first of several "ghost flights", a planned air route that commercial airlines continue to fly regardless of having few or no passengers, destined for Puerto Rico's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, full of cut flowers from South America.
The Colombian carrier arrived at San Juan on 29 April 2020 filled with a consignment of 1,733 boxes of cut flowers ahead of the Mother's day celebration on Sunday, 10 May.
Leida Colon, assistant director of field operations-trade for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands: "Although these items appear to be harmless, there could be hidden threats in compartments and containers of fresh items that could seriously threaten US agriculture, our natural resources and our economy." (ah)