MIAMI, United States. – Air Canada announced this Monday the immediate suspension of its service to Cuba due to the “continued shortage” of aviation fuel on the Island, and said that in the coming days it will operate empty flights to the south to pick up and return to Canada approximately 3,000 customers who are already at their destination, according to a statement from the airline.
The company indicated that it made the decision after the notice issued by the Cuban Government about the unreliability of the fuel supply at the island’s airports.
For flights linked to the return operation, the airline explained that it will “transport” additional fuel and that, if necessary, it will make “technical stops” to refuel on the return trip. Air Canada added that it will continue to monitor the situation to decide on “an appropriate restart” of normal service to Cuba at a future date.
The company placed as an “immediate priority” the return of travelers already present on the Island and specified that it will maintain, in the short term, its usual programming from Cuba to Canada through positioning flights without passengers to Cuban territory. According to the statement itself, Air Canada estimates that there are currently around 3,000 customers in Cuba and that the majority travel with Air Canada Vacations packages.
Air Canada detailed that, under normal conditions, it operates an average of 16 weekly flights to four destinations in Cuba from Toronto and Montreal. From Toronto, he said, he flies four times a week to Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco), twice a week to Frank País (Holguín), four times a week to Juan Gualberto Gómez (Varadero) and once a week to Abel Santamaría (Santa Clara). From Montreal, it operates three weekly frequencies to Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco) and two to Varadero.
The company added that, for the moment, seasonal flights to Holguín and Santa Clara are canceled for the rest of the season, while Varadero and Cayo Coco – scheduled to operate year-round – are currently suspended with a “tentative” restart, subject to review, on May 1.
This Sunday, the EFE news agency reported that Havana had warned international airlines operating on the Island that the end of their aircraft fuel reserves was already imminent.
Already this Monday, the Spanish airline Iberia announced several flexibility measures for its customers with scheduled flights to Cuba. In a statement to which the Spanish newspaper had access The Country, the company announced the “flexibility of fares for those customers with tickets [a Cuba] already issued who wish to make voluntary changes to their trips.”
Iberia detailed that this flexibility includes four options for affected passengers: change the date of the ticket, change the destination to a nearby one, request a refund through a voucher for future uses or obtain a refund by the same means as the original payment.
According to the EFE agencythe main airlines affected are American, Spanish, Panamanian and Mexican.
Most flights that connect the Island with other countries cover routes to Florida, in the United States (Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale), Spain (Madrid), Panama (Panama City) and Mexico (Mexico City, Mérida, Cancún).
In addition, the largest of the Antilles also has regular connections with Bogotá (Colombia), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Caracas (Venezuela), among other Latin American capitals.
