Since January of 2015, U.S. requirements and regulations for flying private aircraft to Cuba have continued to relax and CST continues to monitor the situation. The information below should only serve as a guideline to the current state of affairs for Part 91 operations from the U.S. to Cuba and can be expected to continue changing in the near future as diplomatic relations between the two countries continue to normalize.
There are now 12 authorized travel categories that qualify under OFAC (Office of Foreign Asset Control) Department of the Treasury’s for a General License. Earlier this year the requirement to obtain a temporary sojourn license from the Bureau of Industry and Security BIS (Department of Commerce) was lifted and U.S. citizens flying part 91 to Cuba need to determine on their own if they fall into any of the license exception categories established by BIS. OFAC and BIS appear to be working in coordination which was not the case earlier this year. In spite of all these changes it is important to note that Travel for tourism to Cuba is still prohibited. The U.S. trade embargo has not been lifted.
For more details on recent updates published in September 2015, please follow the link below:
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_new.pdfAdditional points of interest:
• There have also been relaxations in the regulations allowing spare part shipments to Cuba to exchange a part in case of mechanical and/or maintenance issue.
• You still need to check with your insurance company to see if coverage may include Cuba.
• Aircraft are allowed to stay in Cuba for up to 7 days. Professional crew, however, cannot.
• You are required to keep records of your travel and related transactions with Cuba for 5 year after the travel.
Our position remains to be that there are still a number of issues that need to be clarified and corroborated before we will feel comfortable sending customers to Cuba.
The FAA restricts operations to the following authorized designated CBP airports for flights to Cuba. Below please find the list of authorized CBP airports.
Approved U.S. Ports of Entry for Flights to and from Cuba
CBP has determined that the 19 airports listed below are suitable to accommodate flights traveling between the U.S. and Cuba:
California:
Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, CA
Oakland International Airport, Oakland, CA
Florida:
Key West International Airport, Key West, FL
Miami International Airport, Miami, FL
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, FL
Palm Beach International Airport, FL
Southwest Florida International Airport, Ft. Myers, FL
Tampa International Airport, FL
Orlando International Airport, Orlando, FL
Georgia:
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, GA
Illinois:
Chicago O'Hare International Airport, IL
Louisiana:
New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, LA
Texas:
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, TX
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, TX
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, TX
Maryland:
Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Aiport, MD
Minnesota:
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, MN
New York
John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, NY
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh International Airport, PA
Puerto Rico:
San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, PR
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Please contact CST at info@caribbeanskytours.com or call our toll free number 888 632-3196 if you have additional questions or comments.
