Trump administration to suspend commercial flights to 9 destinations in Cuba

The Trump administration on Friday announced that it would suspend commercial flights to all destinations in Cuba barring capital Havana, amid the administration's effort to increase pressure on the Cuban government to cease its support to Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela.

In a statement, the US Transportation Department said that the move occurred at the request of US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, in order to "further the administration's policy of strengthening the economic consequences to the Cuban regime for its ongoing repression of the Cuban people and its support for Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela,"

The affected airlines, including Delta, Jet Blue and American, will have 45 days to wrap up their operations to those destinations, a senior administration official told the Miami Herald, as cited by Sputnik.

"We have seen how the Cuban government has benefited from American travellers. We will not allow these funds to be siphoned to the government coffers," the official said.

The official added that the move is a bid to further limit the cash flows to the island nation, given that tourism is a major part of the country's economy.

"Tourism is a major part of the Cuban economy, and the move is a bid to further limit cashflow to the island, where the socialist government continues to provide extensive aid and political support to Venezuela," the official said.

( With inputs from ANI )