US Awards Havana Routes to 8 Airlines

FILE - An American Airlines airplane prepares to land at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Sept. 19, 2015.

The U.S. government on Wednesday granted eight U.S. airlines permission to begin scheduled commercial flights to Havana starting as early as this fall, with American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., and United Continental Holdings, Inc. among the winners.

The U.S. Transportation Department granted the lucrative Havana flights now after previously assigning routes to several Cuban provinces.