US membership-based operator Wheels Up has launched services to Cuba for its 3,500-strong customer base as it attempts to tap into pent-up demand for travel to the Caribbean island.
Restrictions on travel from the USA to Cuba were lifted in January as a part of a thawing of previously frosty relations between the two nations.
New York-based Wheels Up says it has performed about 150 flights to Havana on a low-level basis since August 2015 on behalf of government officials, Fortune 500 companies and Cuban-Americans re-connecting with their families.
These have helped to prepare the service for its wider and expanding membership, says Wheels Up, allowing it to resolve any teething problems. “We are excited to be part of history by being among the first American private aviation companies to make flights available to and from Havana,” says Wheels Up founding partner Justin Firestone. “Our fleet is well suited for this endeavour.”
The company will operate from 18 airports in the USA using its core fleet of Beechcraft King Air 350i twin-engined turboprops and Cessna Citation Excel/XLS business jets.
Despite the warmer relations between the USA and Cuba, US citizens are still banned from travelling to the country for pure tourism purposes, says Wheels Up. They must instead travel under one of 12 permitted categories including religious, humanitarian, cultural and sporting visits.
Wheels Up is the largest 350i owner globally with a fleet of 55 of the top-end twins. It also has orders and options for another 50 units as well as a 20-strong fleet of superlight Excel/XLSs.
Source: Flight International
