US airline JetBlue suspends flights to Cuba resulting from curbs confronted by travellers

JetBlue, the primary US airline to renew common flights to Cuba after diplomatic ties have been restored, mentioned Friday it was suspending all routes to the island resulting from restrictions confronted by travellers.

Amid nice fanfare, the New York-based airline carried out the primary industrial flight to Cuba in 2016 in 5 a long time after a historic rapprochement between the previous Chilly Warfare foes.

“Demand for journey to the island has been considerably affected by restrictions on journey to Cuba that have been put in place after we launched service,” the airline mentioned in an announcement, asserting a halt to providers to the island on September 17.

The airline didn’t develop on the restrictions it was referring to.

Three years after flights resumed, President Donald Trump suspended them to all cities besides the capital, Havana, as he sought to roll again ties established underneath his predecessor Barack Obama.

In 2022, President Joe Biden’s authorities allowed the flights to renew.

More durable sanctions underneath Trump and the Covid pandemic battered Cuba’s tourism trade which is the principle supply of alternate for the communist authorities.

Washington nonetheless formally bans Individuals from visiting Cuba as vacationers, however journey is permitted for different causes similar to visiting household, or cultural and academic exchanges.

“Exiting Havana will permit us to redeploy further plane on our prime performing routes,” mentioned JetBlue.

This story has been revealed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content. Solely the headline has been modified.