Keys Airport Getting Customs Checkpoint

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MARATHON (CBSMiami/AP) — In anticipation of flights to and from Cuba, U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to set up a checkpoint at The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport.

According to a statement from the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, the new facility will open April 20th. The airport hasn't had a customs officer on duty since the 1980s.

The airport currently serves corporate jets, private planes and charters but no commercial flights.

The county's assistant director of airports, T.J. Henderson, says the Middle Keys airport could be an attractive alternative to busier South Florida airports. Henderson says Marathon's location would be convenient for both residents and tourists coming from Cuba and the Caribbean as well as Central and South America.

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