Weekly charter flights from Atlanta to Havana resume on Wednesday, Dec. 7, under an agreement between Marazul Charters Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.

The agreement calls for Marazul to sell the seats and for Delta to provide the service and planes. Passengers are to check in at 8 a.m. with the departure scheduled for noon. Flights returning from Havana to Atlanta are to leave at 3:30 p.m.

Ivar Fiskaa, president of Scand-America International Inc., a Tampa Bay-based licensed travel service provider that has been arranging tours to Cuba and is working with Marazul, told GlobalAtlanta that the Dec. 7 flight is to have 80 or more passengers.

“Of course a lot of the seats will be filled with Cuban Americans returning to see members of their families, but we expect more visitors to be participating in organized people-to-people programs,” he added.

Federal travel restrictions to Cuba have been relaxed allowing Cuban Americans living in the U.S. to travel to see their family members in Cuba at will.

According to Marazul’s website, these flights are offered only to passengers who have been “duly authorized” by the U.S. government to travel to Cuba. This includes travelers with close relatives in Cuba, official business travelers, professionals, students and others authorized by the U.S Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Participants in cross-cultural, people-to-people programs also qualify for visits. Mr. Fiskaa describes these as programs that enable Americans “to mix, mingle and share experiences with local Cubans.”

Visitors to Cuba who wish to stay for less than a week can make their way back earlier via flights to other approved airports.

Before the relaxation of travel restrictions, only three airports were authorized to have flights serving Cuba were in Miami, San Francisco and New York.

In addition to Atlanta, now airports in Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Baltimore, Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston and San Juan, Puerto Rico, are approved.

Delta flew to Havana from New Orleans beginning in 1953 and discontinued service to Cuba in 1961, according to published reports.

To reach Mr. Fiskaa, call 727-415-5088 or send him an email at ivar@scandamerica.com For the company’s website go here.