U.S. TO SIGNIFICANTLY CURTAIL AIR SERVICE TO CUBA
November 6, 2019
On October 25, 2019, DOT issued a Notice prohibiting U.S. air carriers from engaging in scheduled foreign air transportation to all international airports in Cuba except José Martí International Airport (HAV) in Havana. The prohibition will take effect on December 10, 2019, after a 45-day transition window. Though the Notice bans scheduled air service to all points in Cuba except Havana, the Notice nevertheless declares that the prohibition is not meant to interfere with U.S.-Cuba charter air service.
The Notice is the latest in a series of policy changes toward Cuba by the Trump Administration designed to exert pressure on the island nation’s government. As we have reported in previous newsletters, notable changes have included the tightening of Cuban sanctions regulations, as well as the enabling of private lawsuits under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act for monetary damages arising from expropriation by the Cuban revolutionary government of private property once held by U.S. persons. DOT issued its Notice in response to a request from the U.S. Department of State, which stated in a letter that suspension of U.S. carrier flights to Cuban airports would “further the [Trump] Administration’s policy of strengthening the economic consequences to the Cuban regime for its ongoing repression of the Cuban people and its support for Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, in the foreign policy interests of the United States.”
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665), or Alexander Matthews (amatthews@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6633).
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