SOVIET BLOC - CUBA AIR PASSENGER TRAFFIC JANUARY - JUNE 1963 (CB SC 63-28)

Created: 9/6/1963

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

BLOC

CUBA AIR PASSENGER TRAFFIC JANUARY3

CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW FRGGfor RELEASE A3 SANITIZED

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Office, of Research and Reports

This document contains classified Information affecting the national security of the United States within the meaning of the espionage laws, US Code,. The law prohibits its transmission or the revelation of its contents ln any manner to an unauthorized person, as well as its use In any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States.

SOVIET BLOC - CUBA AIR PASSENGER TRAFFIC JANUARY - JUNE 3

During theonthshree airlines maintainedweekly round-trip flights between the Soviet Bloc andsings between Moscow and Havana, and CSA and Cubana. both flying Britannia aircraft between Prague and Havana.

In the first halfationals ofountries (including at leastS citizens) traveled between the Soviet Bloc and Cuba (sect ia estimatedoviet nationals returned to the USSR by air during this period, whereasntered Cuba. * This preponderance of returnees is consistent with the trend toward the reduction of Soviet personnel in Cuba. On the other hand,ersons from theSatellite countries left Cuba by air. whereasrrived,continued technical aid and assistance. Following the trend notedore) continued to leave Cuba by air for tho Bloc than) during this period. OX the total number oftraveling to the Bloc from Cuba,ercent are either Cuban or Sino-Soviet Bloc nationals as areercent of those traveling to Cuba.

1. Comparison of Air Carriers

The estimate of the total number of passengers carried on all flights in theonths3 is basedrojection of the number ofcarried on flights for which passenger data are available. The proportions, by nationality, of the total number of passengers are assumed to be the same as exist in the aggregate for those flights for whichdata are available.

Aeroflot, which flicss nonstop botween Murmansk and Havana (thus curtailing the payload that can be carried and reducing the economic effectiveness of theveraged onlyassengers per flight to Havana andn the return trip to Moscow. In comparison with the Moscow-Havana route operated by Aeroflot. the superior commercial feasibility of the

operations of CSA and Cubana is apparent irom the fact that flights of these two airlines averagedassengers each from Prague to Havana and S5 passengers in the opposite direction. This route, flown with efficientequipment, presents no operating difficulties, because rofueling is provided at Shannon and Gander.

Although the volume of passenger traffic between Havana and Prague is essentially the same in both directions, the same is not true of traffic carried by Aeroflot between Havana and Moscow. The directionalon Aeroflol flights may be attributed to the fact that favorable windsreater payload in the westerly direction to Moscow and that more Soviet nationals are leaving Cuba by air than are arriving.

2. Projected Traffic3

II passenger traffic in the second half3 continues at the same rate as in the first half, it is expected that0 passengers will fly between the Soviet Bloc and Cuba3n increase ofercent2 (see The addition of the Aeroflot route to the Cuban air service, particularly in view of the meager increase in traffic this year, further reduces the possibility of economic operation for any of the three carriers.

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table 2

carried on tha pragueservice of csa and cubana airlines

direction*

cuban

cxechcslovak other

*55

:,rcv

292

259

*

-2;

*|

bloc

passengers

Original document.

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