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American Airlines becomes third U.S. carrier to resume commercial flights to Cuba

Xinhua, September 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Two American Airlines flights left Miami Wednesday for Cuba's central city of Cienfuegos and the eastern town of Holguin among cheers and excitement from passengers and airline executives.

The American Airlines thus became the third U.S. airline to resume regular direct commercial flights to Cuba after 55 years of interruption.

American Airlines' flight 903 to Cienfuegos landed at 11:10 a.m. local time with almost 100 passengers on board and was greeted by water cannons, a traditional civil aviation ceremony to mark the beginning of a route. The same ceremony was held in Holguin a few minutes later.

Fernand Fernandez, American Airlines' vice president of global marketing, said the airline will also start services to the central cities of Santa Clara and Camaguey on Friday and to the island's main beach destination, Varadero, on Sept. 11.

"When I was a young man growing up in Miami, Cuba was so close but so far away. Today, American Airlines is bridging that gap," he said after the arrival of the inaugural flight to Cienfuegos.

American Airlines will have 56 weekly flights to these five Cuban cities and plans to start its Havana service later in the year. It is planning to offer four daily flights to Havana from Miami, home to the biggest Cuban-American community in the U.S., and one from Charlotte, adding up to 91 weekly flights.

On Aug. 31, JetBlue Airways became the first U.S. airline in 55 years to have regular direct commercial flights between both the United States and Cuba when one of its planes landed in the central city of Santa Clara.

Silver Airways, a small Florida-based carrier, launched a flight to the same destination the next day.

Restrictions still apply to U.S. citizens to freely travel to the island as tourists, who must go under one of 12 general licenses.

U.S. visitors to the island have increased substantially since both nations declared detente in their relations in December of 2014 and formally reestablished ties last year.

Under a deal signed by the two countries in February, up to 110 daily flights can leave from American cities for 10 Cuban destinations.

Flights to Havana were recently given final approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation and are set to begin in late November. Endit