American Airlines becomes first U.S. Carrier to begin Cuba cargo service

FORT WORTH, Texas – American Airlines becomes the first U.S. passenger carrier to begin cargo service in Cuba. The airline now offers mail service, including correspondence, parcels and express mail, into and out of José Martí International Airport (HAV) in Havana, Cuba’s capital city and leading commercial center.

Havana is American’s principal destination from the U.S. with one daily fight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and four daily flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) scheduled to increase to five daily flights in October. The MIA flights are operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft and the CLT flight is operated with the Airbus A319.

“As the leading U.S. carrier to Cuba we are excited to launch cargo service to the island,” said David Vance, American's vice president – Cargo Operations. “Our teams on the ground in the U.S. and in Cuba have worked hard to make this a reality. This new service will benefit families in both countries.”

American is the leading U.S. airline in Cuba, with nine daily flights to five destinations in the country, including flights between MIA and HAV, Holguin (HOG), Santa Clara (SNU), Varadero (VRA) and Camagüey (CMW), and between CLT and HAV.

American has served Cuba since 1991 – with charter service for more than 25 years and with scheduled service since September 2016. The addition of mail service will further strengthen American’s commitment to serving the needs of customers in the U.S.-Cuba market.