Cuba slams extension of US ban on flights

Cuba has condemned the US government's decision to ban charter flights from America to all Cuban destinations except Havana.

"I strongly reject new US government ban on charter flights to Cuba, except for Havana, and restrictions on their number," Xinhua news agency quoted Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez as saying in a tweet on Friday.

He added that it was a "serious violation of human rights and freedom of travel of US citizens and hinders family reunification".

This new sanction is an extension of last December's ban on US commercial flights to all Cuban destinations except Havana.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the new sanction on Friday, saying the move was designed to prevent the Cuban government from making profits from US air travel, which could be used to repress the Cuban people and support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Relations between the US and Cuba have regressed since the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

The two countries resumed their diplomatic relations under the administration of former President Barack Obama.