A A will apply for Miami-to-Cuba flights

HAVANA, Dec. 18th  With the U.S. and Cuban officials reaching an agreement to allow regularly scheduled commercial flights between the two countries, American Airlines said it is ready to fly routes in 2016.

The Fort Worth-based carrier has operated charter service to Cuba since 1991 and plans to apply for the new commercial routes to originate out of its Miami hub, although it could seek service from its other hub airports.

“We are really pleased about the opportunity to engage in scheduled service sometime in 2016 between the United States and Cuba,” said Howard Kass, the airline’s vice president of regulatory affairs. “We look forward to filing our application with the [U.S. Department of Transportation] and we look forward to starting the service soon thereafter.”

Last week, American Airlines launched charter flights between Los Angeles and Havana. It already operates charters between Miami and Tampa to five Cuban cities: Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Havana, Holguin and Santa Clara.