U.S. ANNOUNCES IT WILL AGAIN ALLOW CHARTER AND COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS TO CUBAN AIRPORTS OUTSIDE HAVANA
May 31, 2022
In a first step towards some form of re-normalization of relations with Cuba, on May 16, 2022, the Biden Administration announced that it plans to reverse some Trump-era restrictions on Cuba, including limits on travel and remittances, as well as efforts to boost visa processing in Havana. In addition, the U.S. will again allow charter and commercial flights to airports outside Havana. This reflects a change from policy instituted by the Trump administration, under which flights to Cuba were restricted to only Havana’s airport. Officials also said that the U.S. will reinstate educational travel in groups under a general license but cautioned that the administration is not reinstating individual “people-to-people” educational travel. The loosening of sanctions will also see the cap on family remittances – funds sent by migrants in the U.S. to family members in Cuba – removed.
Weeks prior to the announcement, the U.S. and Cuban governments began conversations amid a surge of Cubans seeking entry into the U.S. Further, in early May, the U.S. Embassy in Havana resumed processing visas for Cubans on a limited basis. That said, the Biden Administration is not planning to remove individuals or entities from the Restricted List, a U.S. State Department register of companies linked to the Cuban government with whom U.S. citizens are barred from doing business.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6665).
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