14ymedio, 27 March 2017 – The Spanish airline Plus Ultra will operate regular flights between Havana and Barcelona from July 1, according to reports in Spanish media.
The flights will operate once a week and will be the first to directly link both cities. As a launch promotion, round-trip tickets will cost 449 euros.
Sources at the company said that this is an important connection, giving the ongoing changes in relations between the European Union and Cuba.
In 2016, more than 70,000 passengers traveled between the two cities, via connections through other cities. More than 7,000 Cubans live in Catalonia, according to official statistics.
Plus Ultra will be the sixth airline to operate between Cuba and Spain, joining to Wamos, Iberia, Air Europa, Evelop and Cubana.
During 2015, exports from Catalonia to Cuba grew by 50%, reaching 294 million euros.
According to the National Office of Statistics and Information, Spain is the eighth largest source of tourists to Cuba and the fifth largest European source.
In November 2016 a business group from Catalonia visited the island to strengthen the commercial relationship between both countries. Some 40 companies joined the commercial mission led by the Catalan government’s Agency for Enterprise Competitiveness and the Port of Barcelona.
