The relevant request was addressed to the department by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has lifted restrictions imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump on air traffic with Cuba. This is evidenced by the order of the U.S. Department of Transportation published.
It is noted that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the relevant request to the department. He asked the Ministry of Transport to “lift all restrictions for civil aviation on flights between the United States and Cuba,” which were introduced at the request of the Department of State in October 2019, January 2020 and August 2020. According to the head of American diplomacy, such a step is necessary within the framework of “measures in support of the Cuban people announced on May 16, as well as in the interests of the foreign policy of the United States.”
In October 2019, Washington banned flights to Cuba (except Havana) American airlines operating scheduled, not charter flights. Later, in January 2020, these restrictions were expanded, and the U.S. authorities banned American airlines from also operating charter flights to all airports in Cuba, except Havana. At the same time, restrictions were imposed on the number of charter flights to the Cuban capital. Finally, in August 2020, Washington announced its decision to ban almost all charter flights to Cuba.
On May 16, 2022, the Department of State announced its decision to lift restrictions on money transfers to Cuban families, allow sending money “to support independent entrepreneurs” and the private sector, and expand the staff of the embassy in Havana to intensify work on issuing visas. The Cuban Foreign Ministry called this decision a step in the right direction.
