U.S. eases its policy towards Cuba by authorizing flights
U.S. President Joe Biden softened his Cuba policy on Monday by reinstating commercial flights beyond Havana, suspending limits on remittances and authorizing certain types of travel, although tourism to the island will continue to be prohibited.
Biden’s announcement represents a reversal of some of the policies implemented by his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump (2017-2021), which marked the end of the “thaw” era, orchestrated by Barack Obama (2009-2017) and his Cuban counterpart, Raúl Castro.
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State Department spokesman Ned Price wanted to make clear in a statement that Biden’s priority continues to be respect for human rights and affirmed that the measures serve to give more “tools” to the Cuban people to live freely and access better economic opportunities, EFE reported..
“We continue to urge the Cuban government to immediately release all political prisoners, respect the fundamental freedoms of the Cuban people and allow them to determine their own future,” Price added.
Specifically, Washington announced Monday that it will restore both commercial and charter flights, which were the most used by many Cuban-Americans to travel to the island from Miami (Florida, USA).
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Until now, U.S. airlines could only fly to Havana, leaving Cuban-Americans with few options to visit relatives elsewhere on the island.
The Trump administration in 2019 banned commercial flights from its territory to all cities in Cuba with the exception of Havana and, in August 2020, went further by suspending private charter flights to all airports on the island, including the capital.
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