American Airlines inaugurates office in Havana
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}American Airlines Regional Sales Director Christine Valls, second from left, Regional Operations Manager Lorena Sandoval, center, and Cuba Operations chief Galo Beltran, second from right, along with local staff, take part in a ribbon cutting ceremony outside American Airlines' new office in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. American Airlines has opened an office in Havana and officials say they will move ahead with their plans for Cuba despite uncertainty over what President Donald Trump’s administration will bring. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) (The Associated Press)
American Airlines formally opened an office in Havana on Wednesday, and an executive said the company will move ahead with its plans for Cuba despite uncertainty over what President Donald Trump's administration will bring.
The inauguration came two months after American Airlines flew the first scheduled commercial flight from the U.S. to Havana in more than 50 years. Several airlines had begun routes to other Cuban cities earlier and before that there were costly charter flights.
The U.S. company said the flight and the office reflected the company's commitment to doing business on the island after President Barack Obama initiated detente with Cuba. Obama's successor has criticized that move, and before his inauguration tweeted that he might "terminate" detente between the U.S. and Cuba.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We cannot speculate about what (Trump's) next step will be, but I can assure you that we are moving our machine forward," said Galo Beltran, the Cuba manager for American Airlines. "You are a witness to the investment and how important Cuba is to American as a U.S. entity doing business."
Beltran said the airline is scheduling 13 daily flights from Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina, to the Cuban cities of Havana, Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero.
A half dozen airlines have received authorization from the U.S. government to fly to Cuba.