U.S. & Cuba sign commercial flight deal

The U.S. and Cuba signed an historic deal this week to resume commercial aviation between the two countries, with U.S. airlines lining up to bid on routes which could start as early as next fall.

The deal, which will see commercial flights between the two nations resume after five decades, could see up to 110 daily U.S.-Cuba flights, the CBC reported. Twenty of those flights would be to Havana while the remainder would be to other Cuban cities, the report stated.

U.S. airlines bidding on flights will have two weeks to submit their applications, with results expected as early as this summer. Last year, it's estimated that approximately 160,000 American leisure travellers flew to Cuba on charter flights, qualifying under one of the U.S. government’s approved Cuba travel categories including humanitarian and educational trips.