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The Italian airline Neos Air launched a new weekly direct route between Rome and Holguín on Thursday, becoming the only direct air connection between continental Europe and eastern Cuba, as reported by the state media Cubadebate.
The inaugural flight, operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, landed at Frank País International Airport amid heavy rain and was received with a welcome water arch. More than 230 passengers were on board.
The journey, lasting approximately 14 hours, included a technical stop for refueling in La Romana, Dominican Republic, a practice that has become common due to the Jet A-1 fuel supply crisis affecting Cuban airports since February.
Miguel Andrés Peña Peña, director of Frank País Airport, confirmed that the connection will operate every Thursday on a weekly basis.
According to the official, "this operation demonstrates the possibility of maintaining long-haul routes despite the complex context of the country and reaffirms the confidence of the Italian company Neos in the destination of Cuba."
Yuset Vargas Ricardo, the delegate of the Ministry of Tourism in Holguín, noted that all passengers on the inaugural flight are independent travelers and that "the connection will benefit the recovery of operations at the destination, especially during the current summer season."
Neos Air is a subsidiary airline of the Italian tourism group Alpitour and has a long-standing relationship with Cuba: before the pandemic, it operated from Milan to Havana and Holguín, and in June 2022 launched the direct route Rome–Havana with the same type of aircraft. The company even named one of its Dreamliners "Ciudad de La Habana."
The initial price of flights from Rome to Holguín is around 408 euros, according to data from Travel Trade Caribbean.
The reception was attended by tourism agencies such as Infotur and Ecotur to promote the tourist hub of Holguín, which includes the beach destination of Guardalavaca, the Salto del Guayabo, as well as options for ecotourism and cultural tourism.
The inauguration of this route comes at the worst time for Cuban tourism in years.
In the first five months of 2026, Cuba received only 359,491 international visitors, a drop of 58.4% compared to the same period in 2025. In May alone, 30,883 tourists arrived, the lowest monthly figure in a long time, representing a decline of 75.3% compared to May of the previous year.
In parallel, at least 11 airlines have suspended flights to Cuba this year, including Air Canada, Iberia, Turkish Airlines, Air France, and Rossiya, worsening the Island's air isolation.
In that context, Frank País Airport maintains regular and charter flights from the United States, and the domestic terminal operates weekly on the Holguín-Havana route.
The arrival of airlines that maintain flights to Cuba like Neos Air represents one of the few signs of international connectivity in a sector that is facing its worst crisis in decades.
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