According to Delta, the airline will begin two daily nonstop flights from Miami International Airport to Havana on April 10, 2023. Delta has not operated flights to the city since March 2020.
“Delta made its return to the Cuban market in 2016 after a 55-year hiatus, but suspended service in March 2020 in response to COVID-19,” Delta wrote in a statement. “In line with continued strong demand, Delta remains committed to fully restoring its network by next summer, as shared on the September quarter 2022 financial results call.”
Flights will use an Airbus A320, which has the main cabin and a first-class cabin called Delta Comfort+. The planes will also offer complimentary iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger services.
Together with American Airlines and JetBlue, Delta is now able to offer more flights to Cuba. The introduction of the new route follows the Biden administration’s decision to allow commercial and charter planes to fly to destinations other than just Havana.
Although Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba as tourists, there are legal ways to do so. The Biden administration reauthorized educational tours for groups earlier this year.
Individual person-to-person travel, which is still prohibited, was originally authorized by the Obama administration in 2015 as part of an effort to restore diplomatic ties with the nation. It was later expanded to include cruise ship entry.
But in 2017, the Trump administration tightened restrictions on travel to Cuba, first banning cruise ships and then all flights to Cuba outside of Havana.
Currently, visitors are also allowed to enter Cuba with a license to “support the Cuban people.” This license includes full-time travel to visit independent organizations and to support “individuals and non-governmental organizations that promote independent activities to strengthen civil society in Cuba,” according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).