(CNN) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that, at his request, the US Department of Transportation. suspended all charter flights from U.S to destinations in Cuba other than Havana, according to a statement from the State Department. Nine Cuban airports will be affected by the order indicated in the statement.
“Public charter flight operators will have a 60-day settlement period to discontinue all affected flights,” Pompeo said in the statement. “In addition, at my request, DOT will impose an appropriate limit on the number of public charter flights allowed to the José Martí International Airport.”
“Today’s action will further restrict the ability of the Cuban regime to obtain income, which it uses to finance its continued repression of the Cuban people and its excessive support for the dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. By suspending public charter flights to these nine Cuban airports, the United States further prevents the Cuban regime from accessing foreign currency from US travelers, ”said Pompeo.
