WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The first commercial flight from the United States to Cuba has departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cuban Ambassador to the United States Jose Ramon Cabanas announced on Wednesday.
"It's official: first regular flight departs from Fort Lauderdale to Cuba," Cabanas said in a message on Twitter.
It's official: first regular flight departs from Fort Lauderdale to #Cuba @JetBlue pic.twitter.com/MxJx4Ff8bu
— José Ramón Cabañas (@JoseRCabanas) August 31, 2016
The first direct flight, run by US airline JetBlue, will fly to the Cuban city of Santa Clara.
In February 2016, US President Barack Obama announced that regular commercial airline service would be re-opened, reaching up to ten international airports on the Caribbean island nation.
The warming of relations came after Obama announced in December 2014 that his administration would pursue a path toward normalizing relations with Cuba.
