US suspends private charter flights to Cuba

The US administration has suspended all private charter flights between the United States and Cuba, to increase economic pressure on Havana.

Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of state tweeted that "the Castro regime uses tourism and travel funds to finance its abuses and interference in Venezuela".

The US banned regular flights to all cities in Cuba except Havana in last October.

Tourism to Cuba has already been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Hardline policies towards Cuba and its regional ally Venezuela are welcomed by conservative Cuban-American groups in Florida, a key battleground state which Donald Trump hopes to win in the November presidential election.

The suspension of charter flights comes into force on 13 October.

Authorised US charter flights to Cuba for medical emergency purposes or for search and rescue will still be permitted.

US commercial flights to Cuba had started again in August 2016 for the first time in over 50 years. The thaw was rolled back by the present Trump Administration.

In May the US Transportation Department assessed a cap on charter flights to Cuba at 3,600 per year.