MIAMI, United States.- The American United Airlines said today Wednesday that it is working to resume flights to Cuba at the end of 2022, suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reported the news agency Reuters.
According to the note, the Chicago-based airline explained that it has been working for months to relaunch the service, but faces some obstacles, and assured that it requested the US Department of Transportation. (USDOT, for its acronym in English) an exemption for an additional 30 days while you work to resume service.
From its hubs in Houston and Newark, United previously flew seven weekly flights to Havana, for which it needs to “perform significant work, including renegotiating multiple contracts with service providers that have expired, and building the necessary infrastructure in Terminal 3 of the Havana airport, where United is being relocated.”
The US carrier added that given the challenges it is concerned about, it cannot resume flights before the USDOT deadline of October 31.
This Monday the administration of Joe Biden agreed to expand US flights to Havana, adding 13 weekly American Airlines departures from Miami and one weekly JetBlue Airways departure from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
This is in addition to the typical six daily American Airlines flights and three JetBlue weekday flights to Havana from Florida airports.
Last June, Reuters adds, the USDOT lifted a series of restrictions on flights to Cuba imposed by former President Donald Trump, including ending a ban on flights by US airlines to smaller Cuban airports outside of Havana.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time that the action taken was “in support of the Cuban people and in the foreign policy interests of the United States.”
In July, US carrier American Airlines received permission to resume service to some smaller Cuban airports. American sought approval for flights from Miami to Santa Clara, Holguín, Matanzas/Varadero and Santiago de Cuba.
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