A formal deal has yet to be reached, the officials said.
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The United States and Cuba announced on Wednesday that they were in the final stretch of inking a deal on reestablishing commercial flights between their two nations.
Until then air service between the two countries will continue via the existing system of charter flights. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Authorized American travel to the island is up 50 percent this year, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who heads the U.S. Embassy in Havana, said Tuesday.
Since the announcement past year that the US would establish diplomatic relations and expand trade and tourism with Cuba, major USA airlines, including American, Delta, United, JetBlue and Southwest, have expressed interest in establishing regular flights from the U.S.to the island. Charter flights have connected the two countries in the interim.
State Department spokeswoman Kerry Humphrey stated late Wed.in that the countries “are making progress yet still negotiating”.
Talks have also started on matters such as produce inspection and port regulations.
In this photo taken through a window, Cuban videographers film the U.S. flag from a crane after it was raised at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Friday, Aug. 14, 2015.
USA music promoters have been jostling to hold the first major U.S. pop concert in Havana early next year and baseball stars, including Cuban-born defectors Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu, were welcomed in Cuba last week during a trip to pave the way for training games there next year.
Obama told Yahoo News in an interview about the December 17 anniversary that he hopes to visit Cuba in 2016 but only if enough progress has been made in bilateral relations, he is able to meet with political dissidents, and if he can possibly “nudge the Cuban government in a new direction”. “In contrast I have to say that in the area of economy and commerce the results are barely visible”.
USA officials and aviation executives have speculated that Cuba could allow more than a dozen flights to and from the US a day.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, from the USA, speaks with a young baseball player during a MBL baseball clinic in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.
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In the US, banks afraid of running afoul of the embargo have been blocking legal Cuba-related transactions at rates equal to or higher than before Obama’s announcement.
