Direct Flights To Cuba Could Fly Out Of Newark This Year

North Jersey residents wishing to visit Cuba may soon be able to hop on board direct flights to the island nation, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Newark is one of 10 cities the department proposed allowing scheduled flights directly to Cuba. The other cities are Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and Orlando. Those cities are located in areas with large Cuban-American populations and are important air travel hubs, the department noted.

The agreement is possible due to an agreement the countries signed Feb. 16 allowing scheduled air service to resume after more than 50 years.

Service is expected to begin later this year.

Travelers must fall under at least one of a dozen categories authorized by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control to fly on one of the 20, 10 from each country, daily roundtrip flights between Havana and the United States.

Twelve United States-based airlines received tentative approval to offer passenger and cargo service to Havana: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.

“Today we take another important step toward delivering on President Obama’s promise to reengage Cuba,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a media release. “Restoring regular air service holds tremendous potential to reunite Cuban American families and foster education and opportunities for American businesses of all sizes.”

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