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HAVANA – A JetBlue flight from Boston landed in Havana on Saturday, as the US airline extended its connections to Cuba despite a drop in the number of US visitors due to tensions between countries.
The plane with more than 120 passengers on board was received with flags from both countries at the Jose Marti airport of the Cuban capital.
"From day one, we are ready to commit to this island in the long term," said Giselle Cortes, director of international airports at JetBlue. "We are the only one to have canceled any route but to add Havana to Boston."
Commercial flights between countries ended half a century ago during the Cold War. But they resumed in 2016 as part of the rapprochement between Washington and Cuba that followed the return of diplomatic relations in 2014 under the Obama administration.
However, Donald Trump assumed the US presidency and imposed new restrictions on travel to Cuba.
The number of US visitors to the island has decreased. A Cuban report says that during the first quarter of 2018, the number of Americans visiting the island declined by 43% compared to the same period last year.
Airlines such as Alaska, Spirit, Frontier and Delta have terminated their connections with Cuba due to weak demand.
Besides Boston, Jetblue also offers flights to Cuba from Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and New York.
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