Southwest Airlines could ‘be flying into Cuba this year,’ CEO Gary Kelly says

Southwest Airlines could begin flying to Cuba later this year after CEO Gary Kelly on Monday gave the strongest sign yet that the Dallas-based company will compete for newly opened routes at the island nation’s 10 airports.

In a message to employees, Kelly said Southwest “in all likelihood” would apply to fly in and out of Cuba on new routes opened under a historic commercial air travel agreement reached last week by U.S. and Cuban officials.

“If we don’t get our foot in the door now, we might miss the opportunity to serve Cuba for a long time,” Kelly said. “We are very prepared to consider this opportunity and may very well be flying to Cuba in 2016.”

Kelly’s comments come a week after a Southwest spokesman said the company would be “actively involved” in the application process.

Other major U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, have already indicated they plan to submit applications to provide commercial air travel to Cuba by the March 2 deadline.

The most fiercely contested spots will be at Havana’s international airport, which is limited to 20 daily slots. Ten daily slots will also be available at each of nine smaller Cuban airports.

Southwest has been rapidly expanding its service to international destinations in the Caribbean over the last year, including the addition of routes from Houston’s Hobby Airport to Belize, Costa Rica, Jamaica and four Mexican cities. The company is barred by federal law from offering nonstop international service out of Dallas’s Love Field.