First U.S. Commercial Flight in More Than Half a Century Lands in Cuba

SANTA CLARA, Cuba (TheBlaze/AP) — The first U.S. commercial flight to Cuba in more than half a century has landed in Santa Clara.

The JetBlue flight departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, around 10 a.m. Wednesday. A live Cuban band and refreshments were enjoyed at the airport where the plane took off, Florida's Sun-Sentinel newspaper reported.

Video showed airlines executives cutting the ribbon at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

We just cut the ribbon on our first flight to Cuba! Join us on Snapchat or Instagram for coverage! #HolaCuba pic.twitter.com/mcin6qBPjo

— JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) August 31, 2016

"We're delighted to be making history," JetBlue President Robin Hayes said before the flight's departure. "We want to make travel between the U.S. and Cuba much more affordable than it's ever been from South Florida."

Que bolá #Repost @edbflying with @repostapp ・・・ History in the Making first commercial flight to Cuba. Santa Clara. #jetblue#jetbluesofly#jetlife#jet #cuba#firstofficer#santaclara #cubans#fll#lga#jfk#bos#ewr#las#lax#sju#sfo#avgeek#aviator #pilot#flight#lovemyjob#insplane #cubanflag #crewmember #flightattendant#captain#amazing

A photo posted by JetBlue (@jetblue) on Aug 31, 2016 at 8:12am PDT

The historical milestone came about 13 months after President Barack Obama announced the U.S. would restore diplomatic relations with the island nation after an embargo that last more than half a century.

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