HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) — Flight 098 of US airline Silver Airways landed on Thursday in Santiago de Cuba with 34 people onboard to open the eastern Cuba city to direct commercial flights from the United States.
The aircraft, a small Saab 340-B, arrived to the traditional water cannon baptism. It is the first of the daily one hour-fifty five minutes flights from Fort Lauderdale to Santiago de Cuba.
Silver Airways representative in Cuba, Jorge Vargas, told the press that his airline is the only American airline with flights to Santa Clara, Holguin, Camaguey and Cienfuegos airports, and that they will also open routes to Cayo Coco, Varadero and Manzanillo.
Vargas said they could increase the amount of daily flights to Santiago up to five, but the limitations set by the US embargo of Cuba prevents them from doing so, though they are satisfied with the possibility of expanding Silver Airways operations through the region.