Scheduled Cuba flights resume from MIA

Scheduled Cuba flights returned to Miami International Airport Sept. 7 after a lengthy hiatus due to the trade embargo imposed in 1960.

American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) flight 903 departed Miami International (MIA) bound for Cienfuegos' Jaime González Airport (CFG) and flight 1041 took off for Holguin's Frank País Airport (HOG), marking the first scheduled service between Miami and Cuba in more than 50 years.

"Expreso Aereo Interamericano (formerly Cubana de Aviacion), Chalks, National and Eastern all had scheduled flights to Cuba leading up to the late '50s or early '60s, when scheduled service ended," an MIA spokesperson told TheTravelPro in an email.

American will also begin scheduled service from MIA to Camaguey's Ignacio Agramonte International Airport (CMW) and Santa Clara's Abel Santamaría Airport (SNU) on Sept. 9, in addition to launching new service to Varadero's Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) on Sept. 11.

American Airlines flight 903 departs MIA Miami International to Cienfuegos, Cuba
American Airlines flight 903 departs MIA to Cienfuegos, Cuba
With scheduled service to Havana's José Martí International Airport (HAV) slated to begin later this year, American will soon operate a total of 84 weekly flights to Cuba from MIA. Through August, travel between MIA and Cuba is up 28 percent to 761,235 passengers, making it one of the airport’s busiest and fastest-growing international markets, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department said in a statement announcing the commencement of flights.

The new Cuba service strengthens what has already been a busy month for the airport.

As reported previously by TheTravelPro, Carriers serving MIA added three new international routes starting Sept. 1: Bimini, Bahamas, by Ft. Lauderdale-based Silver Airways; Cologne, Germany, with three weekly flights by Eurowings; and new non-stop service to Paramaribo, Suriname, by Surinam Airways.

On Sept. 28, MIA will add three weekly flights to Copenhagen, Denmark, and four weekly flights to Oslo, Norway by Scandinavian Airlines, which will be followed by Dominican Wings beginning one weekly flight to both Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Sept. 29.

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Photo provided by Miami-Dade Aviation Department
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