WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US transport authorities nominated eight airlines to begin regularly scheduled services to Havana, Cuba, to end a nearly six-decade break.
The Department of Transportation said the airlines proposed for the service would share 20 round-trip flights a day already approved by the two governments, to link 10 US cities with Havana.
“Today we take another important step toward delivering on President (Barack) Obama’s promise to reengage Cuba,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement.
“Restoring regular air service holds tremendous potential to reunite Cuban American families and foster education and opportunities for American businesses of all sizes.”
In recent years official charter services have multiplied serving a surge in family, cultural and business traffic as relations, frozen after the Fidel Castro-led communist takeover of the island in 1959, have slowly thawed.
The United States and Cuba restored diplomatic ties in July 2015.
The US airlines tentatively approved for scheduled Havana service are Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.
The arrangement between Cuba and the United States will also provide Cuban carriers with 20 daily round-trip flights, between Havana and US cities.
In addition, each side will be able to conduct 10 round-trip flights per day between US cities and each of Cuba’s other international airports, aside from Havana.
That allows for a total of 90 round-trip flights a day between the two countries.
Six US airlines were chosen in early June to serve cities other than Havana.
