Direct flights between Germany and Cuba now a reality

Photos: Havanatour social media

On December 2, the direct air connection between Germany and Cuba was officially reestablished. The Havanatur S.A. Group of Tour Operators and Travel Agencies confirmed the inauguration of this route from Frankfurt, which will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The first flight covered the Frankfurt-Holguín-Havana route with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft from the Spanish company Plus Ultra, which meets European safety and sustainability standards and has a capacity for 287 passengers.

This flight route will facilitate access for European visitors to the island’s main tourist destinations and strengthen commercial and cultural ties between the two countries. For the past 30 years, the German market has consistently ranked among the top five sources of tourist arrivals to Cuba, with a preference for tour packages and stays in sun and beach destinations.

Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, described this launch as historic for boosting the leisure industry in the archipelago and maintaining connectivity with Germany, after the airline Condor suspended its operations on this route.

Representatives of travel agencies that market Cuba as a destination in Germany reiterated their support for this initiative to maintain the German market as one of the main sources of tourists to the Caribbean country.

The outlook for the German tourism sector in 2025 is positive, with analyses indicating that bookings for international travel could exceed those of the previous year by 9%. Long-haul destinations and ocean cruises are among the top preferences of travelers seeking sunny, culturally rich places with sustainable offers.

Orlando Ramos, Cuba’s Tourism counsellor in Berlin, recently stressed: “The importance of continuing to work to stabilize the competitiveness of the Cuban tourism product, stimulate demand, and restore direct flights.”