The US Department of Transportation halted all public charter flights to Cuba with the exception of flights to Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, the Department of State said in a press release on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2020) The US Department of Transportation halted all public charter flights to Cuba with the exception of flights to Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, the Department of State said in a press release on Tuesday.
"Nine Cuban airports currently receiving US public charter flights will be affected," the release said. "Public charter flight operators will have a 60-day wind-down period to discontinue all affected flights, the release said. In addition, the US plans to cap the number of flights to Havana."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a separate statement that the action will further restrict the Cuban government's ability to obtain revenue, some of which it uses to support the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro.
"In suspending public charter flights to these nine Cuban airports, the United States further impedes the Cuban regime from gaining access to hard Currency from US travelers," Pompeo said.
US airlines such as American, Delta and Jet Blue will no longer be able to fly to nine destinations, including Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey and Varadero, according to earlier reports.
The United States does not consider Maduro a legitimate leader of Venezuela and instead supports self-declared interim president, Juan Guaido.
Washington has previously banned cruise ship visits, imposed multiple sanctions against individuals and companies that facilitate oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba and authorized lawsuits by Americans seeking damages for property seized during the island nation's 1959 revolution.
As a result, the Trump administration has all but ended a brief opening of Cuba to US tourists and some business ventures by former President Barack Obama.
