U.S. Bans Flights to all Cuban Cities Except for Havana
Starting in December, the U.S. will ban flights to all major airports in Cuba, except for the one located in Havana.
According to a notice published by the Department of Transportation, the policy was created at the Department of State’s request. It was also announced in a tweet by Secretary of State Pompeo. It comes in response to Cuba’s support for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and aims to ensure that the Cuban government cannot profit from U.S. travel.
The ban, which goes into effect on Dec. 10, was announced Friday.
American Airlines and JetBlue both fly routes to cities in Cuba other than Havana and will have to end those routes in accordance with the new regulations that will kick in in just two weeks. They do have a 45-day grace period to finish out service to Cuban destinations.
Travel to Cuba has already been restricted earlier in the year. In June the Department of the Treasury and the State Department said group educational or cultural trips to Cuba, or “people-to-people” travel, would no longer be permitted. It is not illegal for Americans to visit Cuba, but the new sanctions and restrictions make it much harder to do so.
