US, Cuba agree to restore regular air travel

Commercial flights between Cuba and the United States are set to begin soon with the two countries set to sign a civil aviation deal Tuesday that will allow airlines to freely travel to Cuba for the first time since the blockade was imposed on the island over fifty years ago.

The signing ceremony in Havana formalised a deal in December announcing the two former Cold War rivals would add scheduled commercial flights to the current charter services.

U.S. airlines will have up till March 2 to submit their route applications to the U.S. Transportation Department.

USA visitors to Cuba will still have to qualify under one of the travel categories legally authorized by the US government.

In total, there will be 110 daily round trip flights between the US and Cuba.

US citizens are still prohibited from traveling to Cuba as tourists.

American Airlines, with 76 percent of the flights and a hub at Philadelphia International Airport, said it planned to bid on routes from Miami and other unspecified hub airports.

American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of almost 6,700 flights per day to almost 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. The Department recognizes the eagerness of USA carriers to take advantage of these new Cuba opportunities, and intends to reach a final decision as expeditiously as possible. This agreement does not affect chartered flights to Cuba, which can continue as normal. Twenty of those daily will be from US cities to Havana with the rest to various airports throughout the island.

The US and Cuba are expected to formally sign an agreement in Havana to resume air service between the countries.

They may also “fly 10 scheduled frequencies per day to any other city in Cuba that has an airport open to worldwide service”.

ENGLE: Expanding travel between the two countries is a key element of the president’s broader policy of normalizing relations.

Besides Havana, flights will be allowed to Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.

The Obama administration hopes to make progress on establishing normalised relations with Cuba before the president leaves office. American Airlines, Delta, and United all announced February 16 that they will apply for approval to provide commercial service to and from Cuba, and Southwest posted a statement saying it will consider applying.

The arrangement does not change charter services, which can still operate. One likely applicant – American Airlines.