The Charlotte Douglas International Airport received final approval to start flying non-stop to Havana, Cuba this past summer and the first round-trip flights just started flying this weekend.
The US Department of Transportation announced that Charlotte was among the 10 cities chosen that will be granted permission to fly non-stop to Cuba’s capitol city of Havana. American Airlines will begin flying out of the Queen City staring this month.
The other 9 cities selected include; Los Angeles, Miami, New York (JFK), Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fla., Tampa, Fla., Newark, N.J. and Houston, Texas.
This announcement came just hours after the first commercial flight in over 50 years between the United States and Cuba landed in the central city of Santa Clara, with Charlotte’s former mayor and current US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx among the passengers:
A US commercial flight arrives in Cuba,1st time in 50+ yrs with 150 passengers including US Transport @SecretaryFoxx pic.twitter.com/ZlV7sG1OCb
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) September 1, 2016
“Today’s actions are the result of months of work by airlines, cities, the U.S. government, and many others toward delivering on President Obama’s promise to reengage with Cuba. Transportation has a unique role in this historic initiative and we look forward to the benefits these new services will provide to those eligible for Cuba travel.” Foxx remarked in a statement.
Expedia is also now partnered with over a dozen hotels in Cuba to offer rooms for US citizens (click here to check pricing or book a room). As tentions continue to decrease, it’s likely we’ll continue to see more businesses expanding to the formerly off-limits island nation.