United Airlines working to resume US flights to Cuba: report
United previously flew to Havana, Cuba, from major hubs
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United Airlines is reportedly working to resume flights to Cuba later this year.
While the flights were suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline said it has been working to relaunch service for months.
United asked the Department of Transportation for a waiver for 30 more days as it continues to work on restoring service, saying that it is concerned it cannot resume flights by an Oct. 31 department deadline, Reuters reported.
The airline said it needs to "undertake significant work including re-negotiating multiple contracts with service providers that have lapsed, building out necessary infrastructure in Terminal 3 at Havana’s airport where United is being relocated."
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United Airlines planes are parked at their gates at O'Hare International Airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 20, 2021. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid / Reuters Photos)
United did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
In the past, United flew seven flights a week to Havana – the capital city – from its hubs in Houston, Texas, and Newark, New Jersey.
A United Airlines passenger jet lands at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, U.S. December 6, 2019. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
In June, the Transportation Department lifted restrictions on flights to Cuba that were imposed under former President Trump.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the move was "in support of the Cuban people, and in the foreign policy interests of the United States."
A United Airlines plane is seen in the background as a passenger sits in Terminal C of the IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Houston, Texas, U.S., July 21, 2020. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif / Reuters Photos)
On Monday, the Biden administration agreed to expand U.S. flights to Havana.
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Reuters contributed to this report.