The United States and Cuba have agreed to restore scheduled commercial airline service between the two countries for the first time in more than five decades, a year after they started the process of normalising relations.
The latest step to restore US-Cuba ties after 54 years of hostility will not go into effect immediately but should eventually increase tourism and business on the communist-ruled island.
The agreement will allow US airlines to sell tickets on their websites for flights to Cuba, but they must first seek permission from US regulators to fly specific routes. Charter flights operated by US carriers already connect the countries.
The United States and Cuba have agreed to allow 110 round-trip flights on US airlines to Cuba a day, according to Thomas Engle, deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs at the US State Department. That includes 20 flights to Havana and 10 to each of the other nine international airports in Cuba.
Aviation pact
He said no date has been set for final signing of the aviation agreement, but no issues were expected to stop it.
A group that promotes US-Cuba trade said there was a 60-90 day process during which US-based air carriers would submit proposed routes, suggesting scheduled flights would not begin until the first few months of next year at the earliest.
The decision to restore ties, made by US president Barack Obama and Cuban president Raul Castro a year ago, in part reflected Washington’s judgment that its policy of isolating Havana politically, economically and diplomaticallyhad failed.
While US officials still oppose Cuba’s lack of political rights, Mr Obama concluded these goals could be better served through engagement. Although the agreement will eventually make it easier to travel between the countries, the US ban on general tourism to the Caribbean island remains in force.
US travellers still must meet at least one of 12 criteria to visit, such as being Cuban-American or taking part in educational tours or journalistic activity.
“We continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but we raise those issues directly and we will always stand for human rights and the universal values that we support around the globe,” Mr Obama said in a written statement. “Change does not happen overnight and normalisation will be a long journey.”