TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A years-long effort by Florida political leaders and Tampa International Airport culminated Thursday in a sold-out charter flight from Tampa, Fla. to Cuba.
For the first time since 1962, Cuban-Americans living in the Tampa area will no longer have to spend extra time and money to fly to the island from Miami, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported.
The Tampa Bay area has the third largest population of Cuban-Americans in the United States after South Florida and metropolitan New York.
King Air, operator of Thursday's charter, said 150 passengers paid $445 each round trip for seats on its inaugural 90-minute flight to Havana.
For years, Miami, New York and Los Angeles were the only federally approved gateways to Cuba.
In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection added Tampa International and seven other airports to the list.
Travel is limited to Cuban-Americans with close relatives on the island along with people on business, educational, religious or humanitarian trips.
