US And Cuba To Re-Establish Commercial Air Travel Next Week

Up to 20 direct flights daily will be permitted from the U.S.to Havana, and 10 more to another nine global airports in Cuba, including those at Santiago de Cuba, Manzanillo and Camaguey, Thomas Engle, deputy assistant secretary of State for transportation, said in a conference call.

The memorandum of understanding will be signed on February 17 in Havana by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and his Cuban counterpart, Adel Yzquierdo.

The deal is the first bilateral air service agreement between the US and Cuba in more than 55…

Scheduled commercial flights are expected to start sometime later this year.

Beginning on Tuesday, U.S. airlines will have 15 days to apply for routes between the two countries.

The airline bidding process will likely last until the middle of March.

Since President Barack Obama eased travel restrictions to the country in December 2014, the number of USA visitors to Cuba has surged by more than 50 percent.

Dozens of new flights will begin operating daily next fall, said USA officials.

Officials said it’s possible that more airlines may want to fly to Havana than slots are available, while some of the other airports may be undersubscribed.

The arrangement does not change charter services, which can still operate.

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

Negotiations between US airlines and the Cuban government have already begun in anticipation of the opening. The carrier’s major hubs include Chicago, Houston, Washington and Newark, New Jersey. In 2015, 444,667 passengers departed from MIA on 4,283 Cuba charters.

Although the civil aviation agreement is a reciprocal one, meaning Cuba could also provide scheduled service to the United States using its planes, Engle said, “We do not anticipate Cuban-owned aircraft serving the United States in the near future”.

Discount carrier Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry said it, too, plans to submit a proposal. Interest is also being shown by Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.