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AviationPlanning&Finance
September 2, 2016
Report on U.S.-Cuba Scheduled Air Service
Cuban Aviation Authority: Instituto de Aeronautica Civil de Cuba (IACC)
Cuban Airport Operator: Empresa Cubana de Aeropuertos y Servicios Aeronáuticos
(ECASA)
Main Gateways: José Martí International Airport (HAV) handles 57% of Cuba’s
international passengers; Varadero VRA is second with 17%, mostly from Canada and
Europe, followed by Santa Clara SNU 9% and Holguin HOG 7%
U.S. Aviation Regulator: Department of Transportation (USDOT)
U.S. Travel Regulator: Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
Main U.S. Gateway: 90% of U.S.-Cuba charter passengers go through Miami (MIA)
Regulatory Actions and the Start of Scheduled Service
JetBlue on August 31 operated the historic first scheduled flight between the United
States and Cuba, connecting Ft. Lauderdale and Santa Clara. JetBlue will add
Camagüey and Holguin services in November. Silver Airways, also from Ft. Lauderdale,
started September 1 and American Airlines from Miami will start September 7. American
will build up to eight daily Miami flights serving Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Santa
Clara and Varadero.
Also on August 31, USDOT made final its allocation of the 20 daily Havana frequencies
authorized under the February 16 US-Cuba Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
United Airlines has announced service starting November 19, daily from Newark and
weekly from Houston, and Delta Air Lines announced service starting December 1, daily
from Atlanta, Miami and New York JFK.
The allocations are unchanged from DOT’s tentative decision of July 7 and include the
following:
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Carrier U.S.-Havana Gateway Frequency
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles Daily
American
Airlines
Miami 4/day
Charlotte Daily
Delta Air Lines
New York (JFK) Daily
Atlanta Daily
Miami Daily
Frontier Airlines Miami Daily
JetBlue Airways
Fort Lauderdale
2/day except
1 on Saturday
New York (JFK) Daily
Orlando Daily
Southwest
Airlines
Fort Lauderdale 2/day
Tampa Daily
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale 2/day
United Airlines
Newark Daily
Houston
Weekly on
Saturdays
Now the airlines need Cuban authorization for the Havana flights along with arrangements
for aircraft and passenger handling at José Martí International Airport. United has started
selling seats, subject to government approval, and Delta will start sales September 10,
while working on those next steps.
The Department in June granted frequencies for six U.S. airlines to operate flights they
had requested between the U.S. and airports in Cuba other than Havana. The Cuban
government in August authorized JetBlue (from Ft. Lauderdale), American Airlines (from
Miami) and Silver Airways (from Ft. Lauderdale) to serve non-Havana airports.
Cuba’s travel and tourism sectors have been stimulated by progress in its relationship
with the U.S. Cuba has implemented policies encouraging the development of private
businesses serving foreign visitors and the U.S. has partially relaxed its restrictions on
travel and also on remittances, which help to fund investments in new private restaurants
(Paladars) and B&B’s (Casas Particulares).
Air travel between Cuba and much of the world, not just the U.S., has grown significantly
since the process of normalization was announced in December 2014. President
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Obama’s April 2016 state visit added to the momentum. U.S.-Cuba commercial aviation
will change profoundly as scheduled services grow to more than 30 daily flights.
Americans visiting Cuba remain subject to the travel restrictions established by the Office
of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Those rules have been relaxed twice in the last 18
months and now allow individual travel to Cuba in 12 categories, of which the most
commonly used are a/ Family Visits and b/ Educational Activities and People-to-People
Exchanges.
U.S. and Cuban officials in February signed the MOU establishing the regulatory
framework for resumption of scheduled air services, which were suspended in 1961. The
MOU limits frequencies (round trip flights) to twenty per day for Havana and ten per day
for each of Cuba’s other nine international airports.
U.S.-Cuba Frequency Allocation Proceeding
Immediately after the MOU signing, the USDOT instituted the 2016 U.S.-Cuba Frequency
Allocation Proceeding in Docket DOT-OST-2016-0021 and requested applications to be
followed by two further rounds of filings (answers and replies). The Department on June
10 authorized non-Havana services (Order 2016-6-5) and on July 7 tentatively allocated
the 20 daily Havana frequencies authorized under the US-Cuba MOU (Order 2016-7-4).
DOT issued its Final Order (2016-8-38) on August 31 with no change from the tentative
allocation.
Miami and Ft. Lauderdale each will have 6 daily Havana flights with 3 for the New York
area (2- JFK & 1-EWR) and 1 each for Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte and Los
Angeles. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale are likely to be the only U.S. gateways for non-
Havana services.
American Airlines, Silver Airways and JetBlue are offering non-Havana fares as low as
$99 each way, including taxes and fees but not including the required Cuban visa.
American is also selling connecting travel from Canada and Europe, subject to passenger
certification of compliance with OFAC’s 12-category travel restriction. Havana fares are
expected to be similarly very low.
Three other carriers have been authorized to serve non-Havana Cuban airports:
Southwest, Frontier and Sun Country. Of the three, only Southwest seems likely to
operate non-Havana routes. Sun Country, tentatively awarded no HAV access, probably
will not serve Cuba at all and Frontier may choose not fly even its single daily MIA-HAV
frequency.
The applications in early March by twelve U.S. passenger carriers and Federal Express
requested a combined 58 daily frequencies for Havana and seven of those airlines
requested 23 daily frequencies for other Cuban airports (details in Table 4). Federal
4. September 2, 2016
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Express in June withdrew its request for 5 weekly Havana frequencies and asked instead
for Matanzas/Varadero (VRA) authority, which it will receive soon.
The Department denied the request of Eastern Airlines for Havana frequencies and
deferred action on its application for authority to operate scheduled service. The airlines
receiving non-Havana authorization as of June 10 gained a head start in the Cuban
regulatory process over the Havana-only applicants.
Frequency requests are strategic as well as practical. Some of the airlines are seeking
to establish long-run positions in the Cuban market and believe that additional Havana
frequencies may not be available for years to come, even if the market grows a lot. Some
requested more than they expected to receive or wanted to operate. Requests for
Havana frequencies and final awards are summarized as follows:
American Airlines (requested 12.3/day; received 5)
Delta Air Lines (5/day; received 3)
United Airlines (11/week; received 8/week)
Southwest Airlines (9/day; received 3)
Alaska Airlines (2/day; received 1)
JetBlue Airways (12/day; received 4 minus 1 on Saturday)
Silver Airways (5/day; received none)
Spirit Airlines (2/day; received 2)
Frontier Airlines (4.1/day; received 1)
Sun Country Airlines (4/week; received none)
Dynamic International Airways (11/week; received none)
Eastern Air Lines (2/day; received none)
Federal Express (5/week; withdrew HAV request)
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines (the Big 3) are huge network (i.e.,
hub-connecting) carriers and each is a leader of one of the dominant worldwide
international alliances: oneworld, SkyTeam and Star respectively. They cooperate with
their Latin American, European and Asian alliance partners for success in worldwide
competition and particularly emphasize higher yielding business traffic. They will bring
these strengths to competition in the new U.S.-Cuba scheduled service market.
American Airlines is best positioned for Cuba scheduled service. It is the only Big 3 U.S.
carrier among the leading U.S.-Cuba charter operators and its Miami hub is the gateway
of choice for the largest Cuban-American community. American through its Miami hub
will also provide one-stop service between Cuba and most of the U.S. as well as Canada
and Europe (still required to be within OFAC’s 12 allowed travel categories).
Delta’s Atlanta hub is the world’s largest but Delta requested only one daily frequency for
ATL-HAV. Delta also requested and received one frequency for its big international hub
at New York JFK and one for Miami, where it is much smaller than American.
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Delta’s JFK hub and United’s Newark hub are the most convenient gateways for the
second largest Cuban-American population, located in the New York area. United
proposed a daily Newark flight plus an extra Saturday frequency along with Saturday-only
frequencies for Houston, Chicago and Washington Dulles hubs. UA received daily
Newark and once-weekly Houston frequencies.
Southwest Airlines, which is more of a point-to-point and short-haul operator than the Big
3, made Ft. Lauderdale its strong priority for Havana service and also requested
frequencies for FLL service to Varadero and Santa Clara. Southwest received two daily
Havana frequencies for FLL and one for TPA, where it is the largest operator. Tampa has
historic commercial ties with Cuba and is home to the third largest Cuban-American
population after Miami and New York.
JetBlue’s priority for Cuba frequencies is also Ft. Lauderdale, where it can compete for
South Florida’s many Cuban-American passengers. JetBlue is the leading airline at Ft.
Lauderdale, where including Cuba it will have service to more than 15 international
destinations it serves in the Caribbean and Latin America. It received frequencies for 13
weekly FLL-HAV flights (2/day except only one on Saturday) plus services from Orlando
and New York JFK.
Spirit Airlines requested and received frequencies for two daily Havana flights from Ft.
Lauderdale, where it is the second largest carrier, slightly behind JetBlue and ahead of
Southwest. Spirit already serves several FLL routes to the Caribbean and Latin America.
Silver Airways, which flies of 34-seat Saab 340 turboprop aircraft, proposed service
between Ft. Lauderdale and all of Cuba’s ten international airports. Silver is based in Ft.
Lauderdale and operates 25 aircraft with service mostly within Florida and to the
Bahamas. It received frequencies as requested for proposed services to the 9 non-
Havana destinations but did not receive Havana frequencies.
Three other applicant airlines have not received Havana frequencies: Sun Country, which
did not file an Answer or Reply in the Frequency Allocation Proceeding, Dynamic
International, which skipped the Answer round but filed a Reply and Eastern Air Lines,
which operates only charter flights and lacks sales and marketing infrastructure.
The U.S. had sought a version of its Open Skies model agreement with no limits on
routes, frequencies or fares. Cuba wanted to limit the number of flights and wanted its
national airline Cubana (CU) to be able to operate U.S. service. The result is a
compromise but the U.S. will seek more frequencies after the initial services are
established.
The MOU authorizes Cuban airlines as well as U.S. airlines to operate but Embargo-
related provisions unrelated to aviation make Cubana service to the U.S. impractical.
6. September 2, 2016
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Cubana’s aircraft might be impounded based on private claims against Cuba. The
compromise reflected in the MOU allows Cubana to participate in the market with code
sharing and interline sales. It should be able to operate U.S. services after claims issues
are resolved, but that is unlikely to be soon.
Airports other than Havana did not attract as many requests as the ten daily frequencies
for each authorized in the MOU. Further relaxation in U.S. travel restrictions may change
travel patterns and increase interest in the resort destinations of Varadero, Cayo Coco
and Cayo Largo.
Non-Havana frequencies not operated within 90 days of proposed start dates will revert
to the Department. Most likely, no more than ten to fifteen daily flights will operate to all
non-Havana airports combined as competitive realities become apparent. Because
requests for non-Havana frequencies are well below limits, the airlines in effect can start
as soon as the Cuban government permits.
Market History
Cuba began encouraging tourism in the 1990s, when its economy was devastated by
the collapse of the Soviet Union. It became a bargain tropical destination for Canadians
and Europeans but not for Americans. U.S. law allows family visits and eleven other
travel categories, including education, sporting events and people-to-people cultural
exchanges (full list below). Ordinary tourism is not allowed, limiting the freedom of U.S.
visitors to frequent Cuba’s beach resorts.
U.S.-Cuba travel has been relatively expensive and inconvenient. Nonstop air service
has been limited to charter flights operated almost entirely by U.S. airlines. Charters
are inefficient with separate companies responsible for flight operations, passenger
handling and sales. Cuban fees for the U.S. charter operations have also been
relatively high. Just as important charters are sold only on a point-to-point basis,
without the connecting capability that makes scheduled services convenient.
The U.S.-Cuba charter operators in 2015 carried almost 500 thousand passengers in
each direction, double the 2010 volume and up 27% from 2014. About 60% of the total
were Cuban Americans visiting family and the remainder were other U.S. visitors,
mostly on educational or cultural people-to-people excursions.
The MOU authorizes unlimited charter frequencies but nonstop scheduled services are
expected to replace almost all of the charters. When Cuba routes operate from Florida
and New York plus Atlanta and one or two other hubs, all of the U.S. will have nonstop
service or one-stop-connections. Charter statistics are discussed in more detail below
and shown in Table 2 under Statistics and Maps.
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OFAC Regulations
Cuba carriage by U.S. airlines is regulated by OFAC, which also sets the rules for
travelers from the U.S. OFAC has revised the regulations twice in the last year to make
visiting Cuba easier. Travelers are no longer required to join licensed and supervised
group tours but identify which travel category applies and self-certify their visits.
OFAC still requires passengers to meet the standards of the categories, which call for
active schedules of authorized activities, and to retain records for five years. While
individuals may ignore these rules, U.S. airlines and tour companies are effectively
prohibited from selling all-inclusive beach resort packages. Those packages are very
popular for other Caribbean vacations and in Cuba for visitors from Canada, Europe and
Latin America.
The regulations require airlines to have OFAC general licenses under 31 CFR §
515.572(a)(2), which refers to carriage of “persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction”. The
regulations appear to allow the carriage of connecting Canadian and European
passengers. To increase clarity and avoid risk, the U.S. airlines may seek favorable
interpretation of the regulations or petition OFAC for changes.
OFAC’s allowed categories include:
1. Family visits
2. Official business of the U.S. Government, foreign governments and certain
intergovernmental organizations
3. Journalistic activities
4. Professional research or professional meetings
5. Educational activities and people-to-people exchanges
6. Religious activities
7. Public performance, clinics, workshops, athletic or other competitions and
exhibitions
8. Support for the Cuban people
9. Humanitarian projects
10. Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
11. Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials
12. Travel related to certain authorized export transactions
The Coming Impact of Scheduled Service
As described above, U.S. scheduled services have started on non-Havana routes and
and the USDOT has just completed allocation of Havana frequencies. as soon as Cuba
authorizes José Martí International Airport is ready to handle the multiple new airlines and
8. September 2, 2016
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added flights. More than 30 daily U.S.-Cuba round-trip flights operating by the end of
2016 will carry over 4000 seats per day each way (PDEW).
Filling those seats will be a challenge and competition will be tough. The initial fares
offered by American Airlines, Silver Airways and JetBlue start as low as $198 round trip,
much lower than charter prices of at least $500 round trip.
Havana capacity will be particularly high because the airlines are required to operate the
ambitious schedules they proposed in USDOT applications or risk losing allocated
frequencies. For other Cuban airports, where frequencies are not fully allocated, the
airlines can follow normal commercial strategies, but some of them seem to be accepting
near-term losses to develop their positions in the market.
American is selling seats on 8 daily flights serving Holguin, Camagüey, Santa Clara,
Varadero and Cienfuegos from Miami. Silver Airways similarly is selling seats between
Ft. Lauderdale and Cuba’s 9 non-Havana international airports and JetBlue is selling
flights to Camagüey, Holguin and Santa Clara.
Southwest applied for Varadero and Santa Clara frequencies from Ft. Lauderdale but has
not yet published schedules. Non-Havana services proposed by Frontier, Sun Country
and Eastern are not expected to operate in the foreseeable future.
Service to multiple Cuban airports will be an advantage for American, Silver, JetBlue and
(possibly) Southwest. As passengers become more familiar with Cuba, they will be
attracted to itineraries that include other cities as well as Havana. Road travel is not quick
or easy, so that entry via one city (e.g., Holguin) and return via another (e.g., Santa Clara
or Havana) will provide better exposure to the country and the countryside than a direct
return trip.
Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero are the most popular Cuban destinations for the large
volumes of Canadian and European passengers. Even though OFAC rules seem to allow
the U.S. airlines to carry some of that potential connecting traffic, however, the level of
their participation in the markets is uncertain. Canadian and European passengers with
nonstop alternatives may prefer to avoid U.S. connections that require entry formalities in
both directions unless they are also spending time in Florida.
As noted above, U.S.-Cuba travel has been growing rapidly. The charter passenger
volume grew USDOT data, available in 2016 only for January and February, indicate a
7% decline in passenger volume for the 2-month period, but the total for the year is
expected to surpass one million.
A large but unknown number of U.S.-Cuba passengers connect through third countries
(e.g., Canada, the Bahamas and Mexico) but are not counted in these totals.
Combining those flows with the charter volumes, however, will not be enough to fill the
9. September 2, 2016
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20 daily Havana passenger flights authorized along with at least ten flights serving other
Cuban destinations. Other than OFAC regulations, the limiting factor for U.S.-Cuba
visits will be hotel accommodations, particularly in better-quality categories.
The convenience of scheduled service and likely promotional efforts by the airlines will
add to the market momentum. When the airlines start scheduled service, they will operate
more seats than the market can absorb right away and will drop airfares to expand the
market and compete for passengers. The charter flights will be discontinued and
passengers will fly on the new U.S.-flag services instead of connecting via third countries.
The charter transition may be awkward as the operators will be unable to fill partially-sold
flights after scheduled services get going. American Airlines and JetBlue should be able
to shift charter groups to their new scheduled flights but the charter-only carriers may
encounter more difficulty.
Baggage charges on U.S.-Cuba charter flights are high but passengers bring along a lot
of household goods as well as suitcases, mostly southbound. The charter operators on
flights to Cuba charge $20 per checked piece plus $2 per pound, including the weight of
carryon as well as checked baggage. There is no charge on return flights. Southwest,
which accepts two bags per passenger without charge, will be attractive for that reason.
Cuban Air Service Summary
We have estimated 2016 Cuban air service based on published schedules and 2015 U.S.
charter statistics. The estimates are summarized in six market categories: 1/ Domestic,
2/ Canada, 3/ Atlantic (Europe and Africa), 4/ Mexico & Caribbean, 5/ Central & South
America and 6/ U.S. Charters. See Table 1 below under Statistics and Maps.
Canada and Trans-Atlantic Markets
Cuba’s Canada and trans-Atlantic markets are the country’s largest and have been the
most important for tourism. Combined traffic is estimated at over four million one-way
passenger this year based on published schedules and load factor assumptions of 85%
for these routes, which are largely low-fare bulk travel.
The trans-Atlantic markets include extensive schedules from the EU and Russia and a
weekly flight from Luanda, Angola. Trans-Atlantic routes generate about 2 million one-
way passenger trips and Canada about 2.5 million.
Other tourists reach Cuba via Caribbean islands and Central America (but not the U.S.)
and some European cruise lines stop at Cuban ports. Carnival Cruise lines on April 30
started a bi-weekly cruise program from Miami with stops in Havana, Cienfuegos and
Santiago de Cuba.
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U.S.-Cuba Charter History
The U.S.-Cuba charter passenger total jumped 27% in 2015 to 962 thousand (Source:
USDOT database T100) on an 11% increase in seats, raising the passenger load factor
to 70%. Miami was the dominant U.S. gateway with 88% of the U.S.-airport total and
growth continues in 2016.
On the Cuban side almost 70% of U.S. charter passengers used Havana’s José Martí
International Airport with 11% for Santa Clara (SNU), 7% for Camaguey (CMW), 6% for
Holguin (HOG) and 3% each for Cienfuegos (CFG) and Santiago de Cuba (SCU). Miami
handled 88% of the passenger volume and Havana handled 70%. See Figure 2 below
under Statistics and Maps.
The level of charter activity has fluctuated over the years as the U.S. has loosened or
tightened restrictions on travel and remittances. The passenger volume grew steadily
from 1998-2003 and then dropped 60% in the next two years. Growth resumed in 2006
and accelerated after U.S. policies were relaxed in 2009 but then plateaued in 2012-2014
and picked up in 2015. In the absence of scheduled service, charters flown almost
entirely by U.S. carriers have been the only direct commercial air link between the
neighboring countries. The airlines operating charter flights sell seats in bulk to
companies that sell them to the public along with Cuba entry visas.
Charter activity was virtually halted for 18 months following U.S. passage of the restrictive
Helms-Burton Act in March 1996. The charter passenger total recovered to 68 thousand
in 1998 and grew steadily to 437 thousand in 2003 before plummeting again to 185
thousand in 2005. With travel restrictions partially relaxed, the total reached 391
thousand in 2009, 494 thousand in 2010 and 712 thousand in 2011. Growth then slowed
with totals of 752 thousand (up 6%) and 732 thousand in 2012 (down 3%) and 760
thousand in 2014 (up 4%).
Cuba charges high landing and handling fees for charters operated by U.S. airlines. That
cost contributes to high fares for the charter flights, $500 or more for a round trip between
Florida and Cuba, just a one-hour flight each way. The passenger also pays $95 for a
Cuban visa. Comparable flights between Florida and other Caribbean island destinations
sell for as little as $300 round trip with lower charges for visas.
An important problem with charters is that they don’t offer connecting services. That
means a passenger from any non-gateway airport lacks assurance that the airlines will
make adjustments if flight delay causes a missed connection in either direction.
U.S.-Cuba travel is available on scheduled services operated by foreign-flag airlines via
connections in Canada, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Mexico and Panama.
For many years, travelers on those routings risked prosecution by the U.S. Treasury
Department but enforcement has lapsed.
11. September 2, 2016
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The U.S. passenger volume connecting through third countries has grown along with the
passenger volume on nonstop charters, but statistics are not available. AeroMexico, for
instance, sells connections through Cancun or Mexico City with separate ticketing for the
U.S.-Mexico and Mexico-Cuba sectors.
The U.S. airlines will compete aggressively with each other and in the process compete
for passengers traveling on third-country routings. With the start of scheduled air
service, airfares and package prices are dropping to levels in line with or temporarily
below the cost of travel to other Caribbean island destinations.
Passenger Activity Estimates for Cuban Airports
Cuban Airports Receiving Scheduled Service
BCA Baracoa CMW Camaguey HAV Havana SCU Santiago de Cuba
BYM Bayamo CYO Cayo Largo HOG Holguín SNU Santa Clara
CCC Cayo Coco GAO Guantánamo MOA Moa VRA Varadero
CFG Cienfuegos GER Nueva Gerona MZO Manzanillo VTU Las Tunas
Havana’s José Martí International Airport (HAV) is by far the busiest airport in Cuba with
almost 5 million annual passengers (departures plus arrivals), about 44 daily scheduled-
service departures and 8 daily U.S. charter flights. Nine other Cuban airports have direct
international service.
Almost all domestic air service operates to or from Havana, which is also the predominant
Cuban gateway for European, Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. passengers.
Canadian service is much more spread out. Varadero (VRA), aka Matanzas, is the most
popular destination from Canada followed by Santa Clara (SNU), Cayo Coco (CCC) and
Holguin (HOG). VRA is also Cuba’s second busiest airport with an estimated 1.4 million
annual passengers.
Santa Clara (SNU) and Holguin (HOG) handle estimated annual passenger volumes of
about 700 thousand and 600 thousand respectively. Santiago de Cuba is the country’s
second largest city and 471 miles from Havana but its airport (SCU) handles only 4 daily
departures and about 250 thousand annual passengers. SCU is 64 miles south of HOG
and two hours away by road through the mountains. SNU has very little domestic service;
it’s 161 miles by air and about three hours by road.
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Statistics and Maps
Map 1 Cuban Airports with Scheduled Service
Map 2 Cuba's International Airports
Note: All Cienfuegos service is international.
13. September 2, 2016
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Map 3 Cuban Domestic Routes
Table 1
Airport Domestic Canada Atlantic
Mexico &
Caribbean
Central &
S America
United
States Total
Airport
Share
BCA 13,879 - - - - - 13,879 0.2%
BYM 6,382 - - - - - 6,382 0.1%
CCC 9,341 385,619 46,573 - 9,659 - 451,191 5.2%
CFG - 10,290 - - - 29,855 40,145 0.5%
CMW 28,906 43,954 - 14,402 - 70,650 157,912 1.8%
CYO 14,619 49,801 17,197 - - - 81,617 0.9%
GAO 30,390 - - - - - 30,390 0.4%
GER 46,974 - - - - - 46,974 0.5%
HAV 377,087 186,201 1,491,290 944,252 1,091,498 789,464 4,879,792 56.3%
HOG 92,730 294,934 144,922 3,510 8,274 66,031 610,401 7.0%
MOA 3,269 - - - - - 3,269 0.0%
MZO 6,683 14,878 - - - - 21,561 0.2%
SCU 127,304 17,306 33,754 49,295 126 28,492 256,278 3.0%
SNU 2,751 521,427 19,496 6,660 31,133 122,145 703,613 8.1%
VRA 9,172 961,158 357,153 36,699 612 - 1,364,794 15.7%
VTU 6,565 - - - - - 6,565 0.1%
Total 776,051 2,485,569 2,110,386 1,054,817 1,141,301 1,106,637 8,674,761 100.0%
Projected Passengers Handled by Cuban Airports in CY 2016 *
* Estimates are based on 2016 published schedules as of May and passenger load factor (PLF) assumptions of
65% for Domestic, 82% for Canada and Atlantic, 75% for Mexico & Caribbean and Central & South America.
US projection is based on USDOT T100 charter data for CY 2015 plus 15% to reflect continuing growth and the
start of scheduled service in 2016 Q4. Cuban domestic passengers are counted for both departure and arrival
airports so that the onboard domestic passenger total for CU is half the volume shown.
