The Cubana de Aviación airline resumed its flights between Havana and Isla de la Juventud on Wednesday. Ángel Luis Meriño, head of the Ground Operations Department at the Rafael Cabrera Montelier Airport, explained to the provincial press that the route will have four weekly frequencies and will be operational until October 28.
According to a channel note islavisionthe flight scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays will leave for the city of Nueva Gerona at 7:00 in the morning from the airport in Havana, while the return to the capital will be at 8:45 am
Saturday and Sunday will have a different schedule. The departure from Havana is scheduled for 12 noon and the return from Nueva Gerona will be at 1:45 in the afternoon.
The airline reactivated its flights to Isla de la Juventud last novemberbut on February 8, 2023, he announced that he was suspending them for technical reasons of the aircraft (ATR model twin-engine) that covered the route. Initially, the strike was scheduled to last until March 9.
The air connection is a relief for the residents of the special municipality, since the only alternative to leave is aboard catamarans
The air connection is a relief for the residents of the special municipality, since the only alternative to leave is aboard catamarans. On several occasions users have complained that the boats are in poor condition, rusty and have mechanical damage.
Part of the journey to the capital is also done by bus, on roads in poor condition and where accidents are frequently reported. The last incident occurred on June 3 when a bus overturned with more than 40 passengers on board from the Isla de la Juventud, near the Managua highway, Arroyo Naranjo municipality. The Cuban authorities confirmed that four people died and at least 45 were injured.
Last year, the Government also announced the start of operations of Perseverancia, a modern ferry that would cover the journey between Batabanó and Nueva Gerona in five hours and that would hold twice the load of traditional catamarans.
Although the residents of Isla de la Juventud, the second largest in Cuba, have welcomed the reactivation of the route with enthusiasm, several have also reacted against the cost of tickets, which does not adjust to the average income of Cuban families. “It’s super high for a 25 to 30 minute ride,” a netizen reacted to the ad post.
Local media indicate that the price for nationals is 300 pesos each way; that is to say, 600 pesos the round trip.
“It is super high for a trip of 25 to 30 minutes,” a netizen reacted in the publication of the announcement
However, the tickets are not yet available through the Viajando platform, a mobile application for Cuban customers, although they can be purchased on the airline’s website where you can only pay with foreign bank cards and in foreign currency. at a much higher price: $117 for a round trip or $67 for a single leg.
The catamaran ticket costs about 50 pesos, and 5 pesos, the bus ride between Havana and Batabanó.
In 2021, the Ministry of Transport recognized that the airline could not maintain its flights due to the poor condition of the shipswhich constantly presented problems during the journeys and forced them to land in an emergency.
After 17 years without buying new aircraft, in 2019 Cubana signed a contract to acquire two new units from a Franco-Italian company that had previously sold two ATR 42-500 and one ATR 72-200, but had to cancel the operation due to the tightening of the economic embargo during the Administration of Donald Trump.
This week it was confirmed that two aircraft of the Cuban company are in Russia for its maintenance. The fleet repair program in the Eurasian country is news in 2019, also a consequence of the Soviet origin of the majority of the fleet, which then numbered 17 aircraft, including six Antonovs, four Ilyushins, four Tupolevs, as well as three ATR.
Even with this damaged fleet, last April the resumption of flights between Havana and Buenos Aires, Argentina was announced. In May it was also reported that a direct frequency to Barcelona would be inaugurated on June 29 in alliance with the Spanish company Plus Ultra.
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