First US flight since 1959 lands in Cuba (VIDEO)

First US flight since 1959 lands in Cuba (VIDEO)

 

The first commercial flight between the US and Cuba since the 1959 revolution landed mid-morning on Wednesday, in the provincial capital of Santa Clara to great fanfare, ushering in a new level of relations between the two Cold War adversaries.

Jet Blue flight 387 touched down to applause and cheers both from passengers aboard, and airport employees and onlookers watching as the plane made history.

The arrival opens a new era of US-Cuba travel with about 300 flights a week connecting the US with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on US citizens engaging in tourism on the island.

Direct flights from the US to Havana are expected to start by the end of the year, when US officials say 20 daily flights to the Cuban capital will begin.