The startup Global X, an airline belonging to Global Crossing Airlines Group Inc. and the Miami-based marketing company Havana Air, have been granted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), through the order DOT-OST-2020-001, the authorization to operate 508 round-trip charter flights to and from Cuba until May 31, 2022.
The flight schedules are subject to approval by the Cuban authorities, and operations are due to begin in November 2021.
The Cuban government has recently announced the gradual re-opening of its borders as of November 15, 2021, in an effort to revitalize the struggling tourism sector. International travelers will be required to present PCR proof and other requirements for their entry into Cuba.
Global X will operate from Florida to Havana (HAV) with Airbus A320ceo aircraft. Currently, the only airlines offering flights between Cuba and the United States are American Airlines and JetBlue with a weekly operation from Miami (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) respectively.
«We thank the DOT for committing these flights to Global X and it is an honor to work with Havana Air, the largest and most experienced OFAC-approved charter provider operating service to Cuba. Our crews have extensive experience operating to Cuba, and we have the right aircraft in terms of seating and cargo capacity to effectively serve the market with our fleet of modern A320 and A321 aircraft», said Ed Wegel, Global X’s President and CEO.
«We are very pleased to partner with Global X, which has built an incredible team of airline professionals. We now have the ability to offer our customers enhanced service levels, greater reliability, and the effectiveness of the A321/320 aircraft,» added Mark Elias, President/CFO of Havana Air.
In view of the reopening of tourism to Cuba, other operators such as Icelandair also announced charter flights between Florida and Cuba. The Icelandic airline applied to the DOT to operate between Orlando (MCO) – Havana (HAV) during the winter season.
