Havana: Air traffic increased in Cuba in the last few weeks when the country’s airports reopened operations, although they are currently at 40% compared to 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Prensa Latina publishes.
Roberto Peña, president of the Cuban Civil Aviation Corporation (CACSA), said that travelers’ movement decreased in the island as globally, which should return to 2019 levels at least by 2023.
Air freight also suffered a negative impact, although this is one of the activities that maintained cargo, humanitarian and collaboration flights with vitality, Peña said on national television this Thursday.
Although the CACSA president predicted a serious decrease in late 2020, international airlines are gradually requesting flights to Cuba.
According to Brigadier General Armando Luis Daniel Lopez, president of Cuba’s Civil Aeronautics Institute (IACC), before the air terminals closed as a result of the pandemic, about 60 companies were flying to the island and little by little they asked return.
To date, some 34 airlines, 14 from Europe, 11 from Latin America and the Caribbean and nine from North America, have requested permissions to restart flights.
On March 23, 2020, Cuba canceled commercial air operations, including charter and regular flights, which were resumed under strict health protocols on October 15 at all airports, except Havana, which resumed its functions on Sunday, November 15
However, Daniel López specified that in the closing period there were 2,380 humanitarian flights, cargo, medical collaboration, evacuation, and other contingencies.