Philly to Cuba flights may start in fall 2016

Flights between Philadelphia and Cuba may start in Fall of 2016, as federal transportation officials have approved six U.S. airlines to make the once-forbidden journey.

The airlines approved for Cuba flights are: American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines,according to Philly.com.The trips would be between Philadelphia, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis and Cuba.

USA Today reports that there will be more than 160 combined weekly flights.

Related: US cruise reaches Cuba for first time in decades

“Last year, President Obama announced that it was time to ‘begin a new journey’ with the Cuban people. “Today, we are delivering on his promise by re-launching scheduled air service to Cuba after more than half a century,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

It’s unclear where the approved flights will land in Cuba, though the federal Department of Transportation said none of the flights will go directly to Havana, Cuba’s capital city. But officials said the flights will be approved to land in nine Cuban cities.

The approval marks the first time in more than 50 years that U.S. airlines can travel to Cuba.

Private charter flights to Cuba from the U.S. have been allowed for years.