First commercial US-Havana Flight lands in Cuba as the country mourns for Fidel Castro’s death.
The first commercial flight from the United States to Havana landed in Cuba after more than 50 years with passengers erupted into applause.
The plane from the US landed in Cuba as the country begins week-long memorial services for revolutionary leader Fidel Castro who died at the age of 90.
Upon arriving at the airport, Cubans saluted the American Airlines flight through spraying water from firetrucks above the plane as it pass along the runway at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana in honor of the inaugural voyage.
“It was very emotional for me,” Jonathan Gonzalez said, 31, a Cuban-American born in Miami. Gonzalez said it was his third time visiting the island.
The passengers were wearing straw hats provided by the American Airlines with the word “Cuba” on the back. They were greeted by those who were waiting at the airport with welcome signs in various languages.
The arrival of the visitors are at the same time that tens of thousands begin paying homage to Castro in Havana and a state-sanctioned ban on live music has hushed the usually festive nightlife of the Capital city.
“I’m intrigued to see how the city is after the death of Fidel Castro,” said Tamara Cara, 45, an education professional from Puerto Rico.
To recall, U.S. travelers to the island, for years already, have had to take burdensome charter flights with four-hour check ins.
In February, the U.S. and Cuba signed a deal to restore commercial air traffic. This marked one of the most important developments since Presidents Raul Castro, Fidel Castro’s brother, and Barack Obama announced they would restore diplomatic relations nearly two years ago. During that time, Fidel snubbed the outgoing US president.
US newly-elected president Donald Trump has denounced Obama’s moves to open relations with Cuba.
Several other flights from the U.S. also were scheduled to arrive on Monday.
Alfredo Gonzalez, American Airlines’ director for the Caribbean said, “we’ll see what will happen with the Trump administration.”
“We don’t know exactly what will happen but we can say that we are in Cuba, in the provinces, in Havana, and we will continue our service moving forward,” Gonzalez added.