Above: Havana

By the Caribbean Journal staff

JetBlue is adding a new charter flight to Cuba.

The company announced Thursday that it had made an agreement with its partner, ABC Charters, to add a new flight to Cuba beginning this summer.

The weekly fight, which launches June 5, will operate on Fridays out of Tampa.

“Cuba will one day play an important role in our overall Caribbean network, a region where customer response has already helped us grow into the leading US airline,” said Scott Laurence, senior vice president for airline planning at JetBlue. “Expanding our charter program today reflects the thoughtful approach we are taking in Cuba over the long-term.”

The new flight will raise JetBlue’s weekly charter service to Cuba to four weekly round trip flights.

JetBlue and ABC Charters operate weekly flights from Tampa to Havana on Tuesdays and from Tampa to Santa Clara on Wednesdays, along with a Friday flight with Xael Charters between Fort Lauderdale and Havana.

The company said it was “currently evaluating opportunities to add additional charter flights.”

The company operates all Cuba charter flights on its Airbus A320 aircraft with 150 seats.

JetBlue first began flying to Cuba for charter companies in 2011.

“The airline’s leadership in the Caribbean and valuable operational experience in Cuba positions it well to offer additional service to Cuba from multiple US cities as soon as permissible by law,” the company said.