The US airline American Airlines only had Havana as its destination, after the restrictions imposed in 2019 by then President Donald Trump
The United States Department of Transportation approved this Thursday a request from American Airlines to resume flights to five destinations in Cuba that had been prohibited in 2019 during the Donald Trump Administration.
Through a statement, the airline reported that, starting in November, it will resume two daily flights from Miami to Santa Clara and one to Varadero, Holguín, Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba, in addition to the six it already has to La Havana, a route also operated by JetBlue and Southwest.
In 2019, former president Donald Trump drastically reduced air service between the two countries, as a way to drown the finances of what he considers a “regime”.
Supporters of the ban said at the time that it would starve the government in Havana of cash and limit its ability to repress Cubans and support Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the Trump administration wanted to topple.
On the other hand, opponents pointed out that banning the flights would simply make it more difficult for Cuban-Americans to visit their families outside the capital, but would not have a significant impact on the Cuban government.
However, two months ago, current President Joe Biden reversed the decision and announced that he would relax restrictions on American travelers to the island, with American Airlines being the first airline to announce authorization by the Department of Transportation.
Previously, the US State Department announced that it would not only relax travel restrictions, but also remove the current cap of $1,000 per quarter on family remittances and allow non-family remittances.
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