In addition, thanks to the change in US policy toward Cuba, Washington is “in a stronger position” to engage “the people and governments of our hemisphere”, Obama said.
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December 17: The United States and Cuba announce plans to resume flights between the two countries. The governments had been speaking about restoring a postal link since President Barack Obama entered office, but those talks stalled when Cuba imprisoned US contractor Alan Gross.
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Cuba and the USA began normalizing relations earlier this year, including the re-opening of embassies in each other’s countries.
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Last year, President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced they would re-establish diplomatic ties.
American travellers must still meet at least one of 12 criteria to visit, such as visiting family in Cuba or taking part in educational tours or journalistic activity. “We look forward to offering service between our global gateways and Cuba as soon as we have approval to do so”.
The newly allowed regular passenger flights would be in addition to the charter flights that are already operating between the U.S. and Cuba.
The news comes as travel between the US and Cuba surged by over 70% this year, according to Reuters.
The commercial airline deal is one of several agreements that have been made in the past year, including reopening embassies, and resuming direct mail service. Vidal said much of the blame lay with the Obama administration’s unwillingness, so far, to take bolder steps to loosen the US trade embargo on Cuba.
Los Angeles Dodgers player Yasiel Puig, from Cuba, holds a young baseball player as he poses for photos before giving a baseball clinic to children in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.
Although the agreement will eventually make it easier to travel back and forth between the countries, the US ban on general tourism to the Caribbean island remains in force.
American Airlines is also looking to take advantage of the opportunity the decision has presented and is planning to submit a U.S.-Cuba service proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation in hopes of introducing scheduled service in 2016.
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United Airlines issued a brief press release in which the carrier “Congratulates the USA and Cuban governments on reaching this historic arrangement, which will strengthen ties and economic development between the two countries”.
