WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) on Wednesday approved American Airlines’ request to resume service to some smaller Cuban airports after President Joe Biden reversed his predecessor’s policy.
American sought approval for flights from Miami to Santa Clara, Holguin, Matanzas/Varadero and Santiago de Cuba after the administration of then President Donald Trump barred passenger airline flights more than two years ago between smaller Cuban airports.
Last month, USDOT revoked a series of restrictions on flights to Cuba, including ending a prohibition on U.S. airline flights to Cuban airports other than Havana. The Trump administration had issued a series of aviation restrictions in 2019 and 2020 in a bid to increase U.S. economic pressure on the Cuban government.
(Reporting by David Shepardson)