This fall, United Airlines customers will have a historic opportunity to board one of the first commercial flights from the United States to Havana, Cuba in more than a half century.

On Thursday, the US department of transportation tentatively awarded the airline non-stop flights to the Cuban capital from its global gateways in New York/Newark and Houston.

By providing access from key, geographically diverse locations across the US, United’s newly awarded routes will help ensure better choice, convenience and competition for travellers between the United States and Cuba.

“These flights open the door to a new world of travel and opportunities for our customers,” said Oscar Munoz, United president.

“We are proud of the important and historic role our airline will play in connecting the US and Cuba, as commercial air travel takes flight between these countries for the first time in more than 50 years.”

United’s daily nonstop flight from Newark Liberty International Airport will provide unique value in serving the New York City/Newark region, the largest metropolitan area in the country and home to the second-largest population of Cuban Americans.

For more than 20 years, United has offered the New York City/Newark region the most flights to the most destinations around the world.

United has a long and rich history of successfully starting new operations in airports around the world.

In the last four months, United has started service from its San Francisco gateway hub to Tel Aviv, Israel; Xi’an, China; Singapore; Auckland, New Zealand and will launch new service to Hangzhou, China on July 13.