World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Jose Marti International Airport (HAV)
Tel: (7) 649 5777 or (7) 266 4644.
Jose Marti International Airport is located about 20km (14 miles) south of the city centre. International flights arrive into terminal three and domestic flights leave from terminal one. Havana handles flights from 19 airlines serving about 30 international destinations, mainly in Central and South America and Europe.

Major airlines: Cubana (tel: (7) 334 949 or 950; website: www.cubana.cu) is the national airline with an extensive international and domestic network. Aerocaribbean (tel: (7) 797 524) also has a good domestic network, as well as providing international flights to other Caribbean islands and Central America. Other major airlines include: Aeroflot, Air France, Air Jamaica, Iberia, Lan Chile, Martinair and Mexicana. It is recommended that travellers leaving Cuba get their luggage bubble-wrapped before checking in. This service is available for approximately US$4 and means that it will be immediately obvious if any bag has been tampered before leaving the country (a fairly common occurrence).

Approximate flight times to Havana: From London is 10 hours 40 minutes; from New York is 5 hours 5 minutes; from Los Angeles is 5 hours 40 minutes; from Toronto is 3 hours 40 minutes and from Sydney is 19 hours 20 minutes.

Airport facilities: These include duty-free shops, restaurants, bureaux de change, a tourist information office, a hotel reservation desk and car hire desks (Cubacar and Havanautos). Ground agents Havanatur and Cubanacan, which are local travel agencies for incoming tourists, also have desks here.

Business facilities: An executive lounge is provided by the airlines for their passengers.

Departure tax: An international tax of US$25 is payable in cash or traveller cheques on departure.

Transport to the city: There is currently no bus service from the airport into town. Metered tourist taxis wait outside the arrivals hall for the 30-minute journey into town. The fare is US$18-20. Tour operators arrange minibus transfers with ground agents; these are pre-booked by their own clients, however, it might be possible for an independent traveller to purchase a seat on one of these minibuses from the local agent directly (in US Dollars), if there is space.