CLEAR SKIES

U.S. Lifts Trump-Era Flight Restrictions to Cuba

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the action is “in the foreign policy interests of America.”

The Biden administration revoked a slate of Trump-era restrictions on flights to Cuba, including a ban on U.S. airline flights to Cuban airports apart from the one in Havana, effective immediately. The U.S. Transportation Department issued the order at the request of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said that the action is “in support of the Cuban people, and in the foreign policy interests of the United States.” Trump originally issued the restrictions in an attempt to increase U.S. economic pressure on the Cuban government, and the Transportation Department had capped charter flights to the country at 3,600 a year under his administration. U.S. airlines are currently dealing with full flights, delays, and some employee shortages, so it is unclear how many flights to Cuba will be added in the near future.