Silver Airways wants Cuba route from Key West

Silver Airways wants Cuba route from Key West
BY KEVIN WADLOW
kwadlow@keynoter.com March 5, 2016

The busiest airline at Key West International Airport wants to fly to
destinations throughout Cuba.

Silver Airways, which flies 34-passenger twin-propeller aircraft, filed
its application Tuesday to fly from Florida to 10 destinations in Cuba.

"While many airlines will apply to serve the large, lucrative Havana
routes, Silver is applying to provide convenient, direct service to all
10 Cuban destinations," Sami Teittinen, Silver president and chief
executive, said in a prepared statement.

"Florida is our home and we understand this market, having flown
charters to Cuba in the past for many years," he said.

U.S. Customs operations at Key West International Airport now are
limited to handling arriving passengers from Cuba aboard 10-passenger
charter planes operated by Air Key West, said county Airport Director
Don DeGraw.

"We've been anticipating this [Cuba opening] right along so we put a
multi-phase construction project into effect to upgrade Customs and
Border Patrol," DeGraw said.

The first phase has been completed but three more stages remain.

"Now we're looking toward the future here and hoping Customs will be
able to accommodate our request to handle 34-seat aircraft even prior to
getting our facility full up to speed," DeGraw said.

Silver Airways' application to the U.S. Department of Transportation
likely will take several months to review, he said. "This is the first
time something like this has happened."

A flight to Cuba from Key West typically would take about 30 minutes, he
said.

Silver, which also flies to the Bahamas and other Florida cities, seeks
to secure direct flights to Cuba from five Florida airports.

"Over two-thirds of all Cuban Americans live in Florida with 80 percent
of them located in or south of West Palm Beach," the company says.

Silver Airways now has 12 departures daily from Key West International
to domestic destinations.

Source: Silver Airways wants Cuba route from Key West | Business |
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