Cuban airline to restart San José – Havana route in November

Cuban airline company Cubana de Aviación will offer nonstop flights between Cuba and Costa Rica starting on Nov. 16, the airline confirmed to Cuban media this week.

The carrier dropped the route in August 2008. But the airline will reopen the flight as part of an objective to boost tourism between the two countries.

“We will offer two weekly flights on Thursday and Sunday departing from Havana in the mornings. [The flights will] last two hours and thirty minutes,” said Walfredo Riverón Rodríguez, corporate communications director.

Flights will have a capacity of 85 passengers. Tickets for the route are already available at travel agencies and on the airline’s website, Riverón said.

“The route will offer a great opportunity to expand ties between Central American and Caribbean countries and for developing multi-destination routes in the area,” he added.

Data from the Costa Rican Tourism Board showed that only 3,372 travelers visited from Cuba last year.

Several new routes to Costa Rica have been added recently by major international carriers:

–Delta added routes from Minneapolis and Los Angeles.

–Southwest will add a direct flight from Baltimore.

–United announced nonstop flights from Houston and New York during Christmas time.

-And just this week, JetBlue unveiled a nonstop route between Boston and Liberia.