This afternoon officials with Tampa International Airport announced that they have been given approval to operate direct flights to Cuba, becoming only the 4th airport in the country to provide charter service to the Communist island, alongside New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
Airport officials were thrilled upon hearing the news. Joe Lopano is now the CEO at TIA:
"We are very excited to be named a new gateway airport for Cuba. This announcement will result in much easier and more efficient travel for our considerable Cuban-American community."
Steve Burton is the Vice-Chairman at the airport.
"I wish to thank the President and his administration for allowing more points of entry into Cuba. The new policies will better enable the tens of thousands of Cuban-Americans in our City to reunite with their families whom they may not have seen for decades."
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2011.