US carriers prep for Cuba humanitarian ops following DOT approvals

The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday granted emergency exemption requests for U.S.-based airlines IBC Airways and Skyway Enterprises, for each airline to operate 20 all-cargo charter flights for transportation of humanitarian aid to Cuba from Miami. [caption id="attachment_94396" align="alignright" width="450"] Humanitarian flights will operate from Miami to Havana. Photo/Miami International Airport[/caption] The exemptions are required due to Order 2020-8-4, which last year suspended the authority of U.S. air carriers and foreign air carriers to operate charters between the U.S. and Cuba unless authorized under specific circumstances, including emergency medical, search and rescue, and travel “deemed to be in the interest of the United States,” according to the DOT’s Notice of Action Taken. The exemption requests were granted in these cases due to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Cuban society, which has contributed to increasing protests in the country this week . Skyway, which is a JMB Aviation Group airline, had earlier been approved for and operated eight emergency humanitarian flights from Miami (MIA) to Havana (HAV) since June 18, with the eighth flight occurring today, Skyway’s general manager in charge of airline sales and marketing, Don Bowman, told Air Cargo World . The previous flights were, and the 20 planned flights will be, operated as charters on behalf of Florida-based charter operator Invicta Air Charter using Short SD3-60 aircraft, Bowman said, with the plan of operating two flights weekly for 10 weeks. Each flight will carry up to 7,500 pounds (3.4 tonnes) of cargo, according to the Skyway filing. IBC Airways received similar authorization for 20 all-cargo charter flights to transport humanitarian aid and diplomatic mail between MIA and HAV over a period of ten consecutive weeks. The carrier could not be immediately reached for comment, but according to its emergency exemption application dated July 8, the carrier also plans to operate twice-weekly service for ten consecutive weeks. The carrier’s fleet consists of 11 Saab 340s, two ERJs, one Hawker 800XP and one 737-300F, but the filing did not specify which aircraft type would be utilized for the shipments. IBC noted the shipments transported would be “on behalf of Cubamax, a U.S. company, or another similar U.S. or governmental entity.” Cubamax provides travel services, family remittances and humanitarian assistance to Cuba. Meanwhile, Swift Air, doing business as iAero Airways and belonging to iAero Group, has not yet applied to conduct humanitarian flights to Cuba. However, the airline filed a comment on July 12 in response to the applications from Skyway and IBC, in support of the humanitarian flights and noting that its 737-300 freighter is “ideally suited” for such missions. iAero added that should the DOT approve the other carriers’ applications, “a forthcoming iAero application for an emergency exemption should be granted as well.” iAero could not be immediately reached for comment.

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