Cuba in 50 years

U.S. sends first passenger flight to Cuba in 50 years

By POLITICO Staff

The first commercial U.S. flight to Cuba in more than five decades is heading from Florida to the island nation Wednesday morning, the latest step in normalizing relations between the two Cold War foes.

President Barack Obama restored diplomatic ties with Cuba over a year ago and has used his executive authority to rebuild ties with the country, though U.S. tourism to the country remains officially prohibited and there has been little indication that Congress would act to remove the long-standing trade embargo anytime soon.

The JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara, which is carrying Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, is the first flight in what has been a frenzy by airlines to secure air routes to Cuba. Seven other airlines have also secured permission to fly passengers to the island nation.

Advocates for closer ties between the longtime enemies and an end to the U.S. economic embargo have hailed the restart of travel as a crucial step. James Williams, president of the business and community group Engage Cuba, said Wednesday’s flight “marks a turning point in the relations between the American and the Cuban people,” though he called the tourism ban “inconsistent with our values as a free society" and said it's "stifled economic growth in Cuba.”