U.S., Cuba announce they will resume scheduled commercial airline service

The news comes the day before the two countries mark the anniversary of the deal to normalize relations a year ago.

Other U.S. airlines – American Airlines Group Inc, Delta Air Lines Inc and United Continental Holdings Inc – have all expressed interest in scheduling flights to Cuba.

Currently, American and Cuban travellers must fly on charter flights that are expensive and hard to book, forcing them to buy paper tickets in Cuba or email documents and payment information back and forth with an agent in the US.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department confirmed that progress had been made, but said the teams were still negotiating.

Cuba’s embassy in Washington said in a statement on the airline deal that the countries reiterated their commitment to flight security and to protecting civil aviation “from acts of unlawful interference”.

Cuba and the USA announced last week direct mail service would restart after a 52-year interruption. The move to announce the start of commercial flights is the latest in a series of steps taken to cool off tensions between the two countries.

Since detente, Cuban overland arrivals to the United States have soared almost 80 percent while the number arriving by sea has more than doubled.

Authorised American travel to the island is up 50% this year, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who heads the United States embassy in Havana, said.

Sprint and Verizon have signed roaming deals with Cuba’s state telecommunications company that benefit a small class of American travelers.

The United States and Cuba could soon restore regular commercial airline flights, reported the Associated Press Thursday.

On other issues, however, the USA and Cuba remain far apart.

The deal has been in the works throughout long-running talks in Washington and would allow for USA airlines to negotiate with the Cuban government for routes to the island.

In the US, banks afraid of running afoul of the embargo have been blocking legal Cuba-related transactions at rates equal to or higher than before Obama’s announcement.

President Barack Obama relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba earlier this year.