As relations thaw between the U.S. and Cuba, Jacksonville could get a flight to the island country.
Fort Lauderdale-based Silver Airways has applied for permission to fly from Jacksonville to Cuba, saying it wants to be a bridge between here and there.
If approved, the flights would happen twice a week and fly into Havana. Silver has also applied for flights from Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Key West and is looking to serve 10 cities in Cuba.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines also wants to provide service to Cuba from three cities in Central Florida.
And Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines is asking permission for flights to Havana from cities in South Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and California.
The U.S. resumed diplomatic ties with Cuba last year, nearly 55 years after they were first severed.
Pricing for the flights haven’t been determined. The next step is for the U.S. Department of Transportation to review the applications and make a decision, something it is expected to do this summer.
Silver said it wants to start flights by the end of the year.
