Icelandair has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for 276 charter flights from Florida and Texas to Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador in partnership with Anmart Superior Travel, a travel agency dedicated to operating package tours in the Caribbean and South America.
On September 14, 2021, Icelandair had applied to the DOT with registration DOT-OST-2020-0011-0203 to operate a weekly flight for 13 weeks between October 5 to December 28 between Orlando (MCO) – Havana (HAV) under charter mode.
In the application filed under DOT-OST-2017-0044-0874, the Icelandic airline has proposed the following series of charter flights:
From January 11, 2022, to February 1, 2022.
- Orlando (MCO) – Havana, Cuba (HAV) 4 roundtrip flights.
From February 1, 2022, to May 31, 2022
- Orlando (MCO) – Havana, Cuba (HAV) 17 roundtrip flights.
- Houston (IAH) – Havana, Cuba (HAV) 17 roundtrip flights.
- Miami (MIA) – Havana, Cuba (HAV) 136 roundtrip flights.
- Miami (MIA) – Quito, Ecuador (UIO) 34 weekly flights
- Miami (MIA) – Guayaquil (GYE) 34 weekly flights.
- Miami (MIA) – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ) 34 flights weekly.
The application is pending governmental approval. The flights could be operated between Boeing 757 and 737 MAX aircraft.
DOT-OST-2017-0044-0874_contentUpon this request by Iceland’s flag carrier, several U.S. airlines filed complaints with the DOT, stating that priority should be given to domestic operators to perform these flights.
Swift Air, in conjunction with iAero Airways, submitted a complaint to the DOT filed under DOT-OST-2020-0011-0259, stating that the restrictions imposed by the Cuban government block the opportunity for U.S. operators to take advantage of available capacity.
iAero Airways states it has decades of experience operating charter routes between the U.S. and Cuba and has the personnel necessary to service charter flights between the two nations. Global X Airlines recently joined Swift’s complaint in response to Icelandair’s request.
Icelandair filed its response with the DOT alleging that they can offer greater benefits than Swift. The Icelandic airline makes the following assertions:
- On December 28, 2021, Icelandair’s MCO-HAV flight took off with 130 passengers, who checked a total of 446 bags that were loaded onto a Boeing 757-223, according to available information. A Boeing 737-400 could hardly handle 200 bags, so a 737-400 is not suitable for this type of operation.
- Swift’s claims of ground handling expertise are no substitute for the impossible task of loading 400+ suitcases on a 737-400. Swift does not seem to deny this.
- Icelandair understands that there is only one ground handling agent at HAV, and in any case, the company has operated 7 safe flights between HAV and MCO.
- With the Boeing 757-223 there have been no ground handling problems at HAV. Even with more than 400 bags/flight.
