After half a century, US and Cuba to resume scheduled flights

Announced a year to the day after the two countries embarked on a process of normalizing ties, the latest accord will not go into effect immediately but should eventually increase tourism and business on the communist-ruled island.

Under the pact, US airlines will be able to sell tickets on their websites for flights to Cuba but they must first apply for permission from US regulators to fly specific routes. Charter flights operated by US carriers already connect the countries.

The United States and Cuba have agreed to allow 110 round-trip flights on US airlines to Cuba per day, according to Thomas Engle, deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs at the US State Department.

That includes 20 flights to Havana and 10 to each of the other nine international airports in Cuba, he said, adding that no date has been set for final signing of the aviation pact but that nothing was expected to derail it.

There will likely be a 60-to-90 day process during which US-based air carriers will submit proposed routes, suggesting scheduled flights would not begin until the first few months of 2016 at the earliest.

The decision to restore ties, made by US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro a year ago, in part reflected Washington's judgment that its policy of isolating Havana politically, economically and diplomatically had failed.

While US officials still criticize Cuba for human rights, they now believe promoting political and other freedoms is more likely to be achieved through engagement.

Although the agreement will eventually make it easier to travel back and forth between the countries, the US ban on general tourism to the Caribbean island remains in force.

US travelers still must meet at least one of 12 criteria to visit, such as visiting family in Cuba or taking part in educational tours or journalistic activity.