Eastern Air Lines And HavanaAir Charters To Provide Daily Air Service To Cuba

Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc and HavanaAir Charters, LLC, have signed today an agreement, to support HavanaAir's charter operations to Cuba. HavanaAir is the largest provider of passenger traffic to the island, currently operating 65 flights a month to Havana from Miami with additional service to Santa Clara and Camaguey. The partnership will eventually include additional approved US gateway cities.

Eastern will operate the Boeing 737-800 (Next Generation) aircraft, configured with 16 First Class seats and 129 Coach seats in the main cabin on all flights to Cuba.

"We are very pleased to partner with Eastern Air Lines. Eastern earned iconic status in the U.S. airline industry for decades and we are both honored and privileged to partner with their highly experienced management. Our partnership with Eastern will provide an entirely new level of service to Cuba with their Next Generation Boeing aircraft and their commitment to excellent customer service." said Mark Elias, President and COO of HavanaAir Charters.

"We are excited to partner with HavanaAir Charters. Eastern was formerly the largest provider of air seats in the Cuba market, and with this agreement, Eastern will once again provide more seats to Cuba than any other U.S. carrier. Cuba is and always will be a very important market for Eastern as we grow our airline and we look forward to proving service from additional U.S. gateways along with our home airport of Miami International", said Ed Wegel, President & CEO of Eastern.

Key Facts:

1. Eastern will operate for HavanaAir twice daily service to Havana and weekly service to Camaguey and Santa Clara.

2. Eastern will support HavanaAir's existing operations to Cuba with some 65 flights monthly.

3. Eastern and HavanaAir will be launching service from other U.S. gateways within 60 days.

Travelore News: Eastern Air Lines Receives Air Carrier Operating Certificate From FAA Beginning Revival Of The Iconic Brand.

Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc is pleased to report that its operating subsidiary, Eastern Air Lines, has received an Air Carrier Operating Certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Eastern received its certificate and "Part 121" operations specifications, which authorize passenger charters with large aircraft, in a short ceremony today at Eastern's headquarters in Building 5A at Miami International Airport. (Bldg 5A served as Eastern's Operation Center from 1965-1991)

"We are honored and humbled to have been selected to bring the Eastern Air Lines name and legacy back to the skies, and the receipt of our 121 certification is the culmination of several years of planning and, over the last year, intense preparations by our team to meet all FAA requirements. During our proving run flights with the FAA, we flew our aircraft to Dallas, San Antonio, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Columbus (Ohio) and Colorado Springs, and we received a great reception in each city and were proud to show off our colors once again," said Ed Wegel, Eastern's founder and CEO. "We are also pleased that our certificate will be held in the South Florida CMO, which is Eastern's home base," Wegel added.

Eastern will be announcing its initial charter operations shortly and has recently concluded deals for additional 737-800s.