The U.S. government announced Friday the upcoming signing of a memorandum of understanding with Cuba in the field of civil aviation that will pave the way for direct commercial flights by fall of this year.
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A total of 110 daily flights from the United States to Cuba will be authorized under the agreement to be signed Tuesday, the terms of which were agreed to in December.
The accord will permit the continuation of charter airlines’ existing operations, which amount to between 10 and 15 flights a day to Cuba, Engle said.
Under the deal, the Transportation Department will review proposals with an eye toward maximizing the benefit for the most travelers, according to Brandon Belford, the department’s deputy assistant for aviation.
A USA official with direct knowledge of the agreement told CNN that the Department of Transportation could award routes and slots to specific carriers as soon as this summer.
USA visitors to Cuba will still have to qualify under one of the travel categories legally authorized by the US government. It will allow 20 flights a day to Havana and as many as 10 per day to each of the nine other global airports in the country.
The airline bidding process will likely last until the middle of March.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Charles Rivkin, assistant secretary of State for economic and business affairs, will sign the travel agreement with Cuban counterparts.
Without commercial service, Americans and Cubans have had to rely on charter flights, which are more complicated to book and often require travelers to email documents and payment information to agents.
United Airlines is looking to serve Havana from its major hubs in Chicago, Houston, Washington, and Newark, New Jersey.
The United States and Cuba formally restored diplomatic relations in July and re-opened embassies in each other’s capitals. The carrier now flies charters to various Cuban destinations out of New York, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
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JetBlue, United Airlines, Southwest and Delta also have indicated they want to offer service to Cuba.
