Russia and Cuba resume regular direct flights between Moscow and Havana – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

The Boeing 777 plane landed in Cuba’s main air port on Sunday at 3:37 p.m. local time. There were 302 passengers on board. The flight lasted about 13 hours. Upon arrival, passengers received a pleasant surprise: a concert by a group of local musicians who performed the most popular and famous songs of Cuba.

High-ranking greeters

Among those who met with the Russians was the head of the Russian embassy, ​​Víctor Coronelli, as well as the Cuban Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda. “We were finally able to resume these direct flights from Moscow to Havana without stops,” the Russian ambassador told reporters. He pointed out that for now there will be two weekly flights to the Cuban capital. At the same time, he expressed hope that the flow of tourists would grow. According to him, this route is in great demand “both among Russians and Cubans.”

In turn, the head of the Cuban Ministry of Tourism highlighted that the number of Russians who visited Cuba this year broke a historical record. “At the end of the year this figure exceeded 182 thousand tourists. Our goal is to reach the figure of half a million tourists,” said García Granda. The minister also added that Cuba and Russia are working on launching direct flights from Saint Petersburg. “Not only to Havana, but also to Varadero, Cayo Coco and other resorts,” he explained.

Photo: Dmitry Kulemyakin/RG

Impressions of pilots and passengers.

Both the passengers of the first flight to Havana and the plane crew indicated that the flight was carried out at the highest level. “The flight is absolutely calm,” Vladimir Vakhmyanin, chief instructor pilot of the Boeing 777, told a RG correspondent. According to him, the weather conditions were ideal during the flight. He also highlighted and thanked the aircraft crew for their excellent work.

In turn, the passengers who participated in this historic flight also highlighted the professionalism of the pilots and the entire aircraft crew. “An excellent flight, without problems. The flight time went unnoticed. I would like to thank the crew for the perfectly executed landing,” one of the passengers, Alexander, told RG.

Air traffic between Russia and Cuba

Previously, Russia had already resumed direct flights with Cuba. Since the beginning of July, Rossiya Airlines planes fly directly to the resort of Varadero. Direct flights between the countries, which were first established in 1962, were discontinued in 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. After this, the resumption of flights was prevented by the anti-Russian measures adopted by Western countries after the start of the special operation in Ukraine.