U.S. to let airlines resume regular flights to Cuba
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will allow U.S. air carriers to start regular scheduled commercial flights to and from Cuba for the first time in more than 50 years, as early as this fall, U.S. officials said Friday.
Air travel could resume with up to 20 daily scheduled round-trip flights to Havana and nine to 10 other airports around the island nation.
The move is the latest by a White House determined to restore normal ties with the long-shunned communist government.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will sign the bilateral arrangement with his Cuban counterpart Tuesday in Havana to re-establish regular commercial air travel, and to start government screening of eligible air carriers.
The Transportation Department will solicit applications from airlines to operate the service. U.S. officials expect the opportunity to kick off a bidding war for the new routes.
Airlines could begin selling tickets this fall, likely around October, administration officials said. American passengers will still have to apply for Cuban visas to make the trip.
Charter flights to Cuba, which now fly about 10 or 15 times a day, will continue. Cuban airlines are not expected to begin reciprocal service to U.S. airports in the near future, officials said.
Diplomats agreed to restore commercial air service in December, but it’s taken this long to assess Cuban air operations, security procedures and other challenges.
U.S. law still bars tourists from visiting Cuba, but the commercial flights will expand opportunities for other visitors, from students to business executives.
It is intended to strengthen the people-to-people ties that President Barack Obama hopes will make the detente last after he leaves the White House next year. Washington and Havana restored diplomatic relations in July, a process that began with behind-the-scenes talks between emissaries of the White House, the government of Raul Castro and the Vatican. Obama relaxed travel and trade restrictions, but many can only be changed by Congress.
The White House has urged Congress to drop its trade embargo, which was passed in 1963.
Many conservatives and Cuban-Americans oppose what they see as a rush to dropping sanctions. The Castro government still draws international criticism, including from the White House, for jailing political dissidents and human rights abuses.
The restoration of commercial flights promotes travel, commerce and the free flow of information, said James Williams, president of the nonpartisan advocacy group Engage Cuba, a supporter of the new Obama policy.
“Now is the time for Washington to listen to the majority of Americans and Cuban people, and fully end the outdated embargo,” he said.