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The First Scheduled Flight from the U.S. Arrives in Cuba

Summary: 
The first scheduled flight arrived in Cuba from the United States in over 50 years. Learn about how we got here and President Obama's promise to reengage Cuba.

Today, for the first time in over 50 years, a scheduled flight arrived in Cuba from the United States. The historic flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Santa Clara, Cuba builds on the President's promise to reengage with Cuba -- arriving just one year after President Obama formally re-established relations between the United States and Cuba.

A U.S. plan flies above Cuba

The goal of the President's policy with Cuba is simple: to improve the lives of Cubans and to advance the interests of the United States. The President fundamentally believes that the best way to achieve that goal is by facilitating more interaction between the Cuban and American people, including through travel and commercial opportunities, and through more access to information, which culminated in the President’s recent trip to Cuba.

Scheduled flights between the U.S. and Cuba enable a new level of convenience for passengers to book travel directly and further enhances the ability for Cubans and Americans to engage directly. This flight is an example of progress that has been made in the normalization process between our two nations and will continue to advance the President’s policy.

Fans react during an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team at the Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, Cuba, March 22, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Fans react during an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team at the Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, Cuba, March 22, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Watch today's flight arrive in Cuba: 

Learn more about the changing course with Cuba.