US 1707 over Cuban airspace?
 

I was tracking 1707 clt-sjo and it took a direct path over Cuban airspace. Just more out of curiosity but are american planes allowed over Cuban airspace. A part of me would think they that you would have to vector around the island but apparently not. Have we always been allowed to fly over Cuba? BoeingBoy I know you're out there...

Go Gators

Yes, I think it's a regular occurrence. Cuba sells permits for overflight, which saves airlines quite a bit in fuel. The sticking point after the cold war was how to pay the permit fees without violating the embargo. Like many things, enough money was at stake in fuel costs that exceptions are permitted -- I think at one point it was complicated; the U.S. carrier had to use a foreign bank to launder the transaction so that it wasn't paying Cuba directly, but I believe this artifice is now gone.

It is. They've been doing it for years to save fuel. Track the CLT-MBJ flights as well.

Completely normal - and happens with just any country we're not friendly with except North Korea.

As normal as all the Cuban planes that overfly the US to/from Canada. As normal as all the US planes that overfly Iran to/from India.

That's interesting. I presume during the Cold War we just remmited payment to the Ruskies and thus avoided the tricky embargo issue? I'm a little young to remeber commercial air travel from the 80's...

I wonder if US passes the fee onto passengers for flighst to MBJ and SJO etc, burying it somewhere in the litany of $2 9/11 fees that we pay?

Go Gators

I don't think were flying over Cuba during the cold war. I could be wrong, but I would doubt it.

Nor were western airliners safely overflying the Soviet Union. See Korean Air's experiences with Soviet fighters.

I think that was more of an issue of "authorized" vs. "unauthorized" use of airspace. More discussion over atP PRuNe.

http://www.pprune.org/spectators-bal...countries.html

It's been a while but if I remember correctly there's onr or more air corridors through Cuban airspace that air traffic uses. You can't just fly over any part of Cuba you want. Like overflying any country there's a nav fix where you're required to check in with Cuban controllers, which has to be done 10 minutes prior to entering Cuban airspace I believe.

Jim

What about Arabs country? I knows LY can't fly over Arabs country? Because it was Middle Eastern restrictions. They are not friendly at all. There is several US & foreign airlines who flying over Israeli airspace. Is that Allowance to flyover?

That's interesting, what if a US based plane had to make an emergency landing in Cuba? I remeber reading somewhere on FT about a fligt in the early 80's that had to make an emergency landing in Iran. If I recall the Iranians wouldn't let anybody out of the plane and the pilot had to put the jet fuel on his amex and get out of there.

Go Gators

Starwood points!!! :D

Emergency landings are permitted, although there's language about fully investigating the cause so you couldn't just declare an emergency and drop in for a few hours on the beach collecting some rays. I suspect it would also be costly, although that may have changed over the years. Back in the olden days when hijackers would demand to be taken to Cuba, it could easily cost a few hundred thousand dollars (cash only, no checks) to get the jetliner back out. But I heard that the airport officials were always helpful and treated everyone well.

Jim

No. Look at the taxes and fees on an intl ticket.