LATAM Airlines Also Named In The Suit

A federal lawsuit has been filed by a Miami man who says he was the owner of Havana's José Martí Airport before it was seized by Fidel Castro.

The suit seeks damages from American Airlines and Chile's Latam Airlines for conducting business on properties confiscated by the Cuban Government. American and other U.S. Airlines obtained permission to operate flight to Cuba under the Obama administration.

The Miami Herald reports that the person who filed the suit is José Ramón López Regueiro, whose father, José López Vilaboy, was a businessman that was close to Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. According to the suit, Vilaboy bought the airport from Pan American Airways in 1952 for $1.5 million. He then improved the runway, built the terminal and renamed the airport José Martí.

When Castro came to power in 1959, Vilaboy and his family were forced to flee Cuba, and left with nothing, the suit claims.

The suit claims that the two named airlines are using the facility without the authorization of the actual owner, which is considered "unlawful trafficking in his confiscated property in Cuba,” a violation of the Helms-Burton law.

AA says its use of the airport is authorized by multiple U.S. government agencies , and that Title III of Helms-Burton "specifically exempts lawful travel, which is what American provides. We’ll review this lawsuit in detail and vigorously defend our service to Cuba,” the airline said in a statement.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report