In this Aug 31, 2016 photo, JetBlue Flight 386 departs for Cuba from Fort Lauderdale National Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (RHONA WISE / AFP)

HAVANA - Cuba's government on Tuesday condemned a new US ban on charter flights between the two countries as a violation of human rights.

The US ban bars public charter flights between Cuban and US destinations, with the exception of Cuba's capital Havana

The ban, which took effect earlier in the day, bars public charter flights between Cuban and US destinations, with the exception of Cuba's capital Havana.

The measure violates human rights of Cubans, many of whom have relatives in the United States, and freedom of travel of US citizens, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Twitter.

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Cuba's state newspaper Granma published an extensive article on the subject, claiming the decision by US President Donald Trump's administration only made it costlier and more difficult to travel between the two countries.

Granma noted the measure comes just a week before the presidential primaries to be held in the southern state of Florida, in a bid to pander to the state's large Cuban exile community.

Washington banned US commercial flights to all Cuban destinations except Havana in December 2019, disrupting growing US tourism to Cuba.