Madrid/“It’s total chaos.” This is how the owner of a travel agency in Lamèque, in the east of the country, defined the situation of Canadian tourists in Cuba this Monday. “We didn’t think it would come to this, but the worst nightmare happened last week, when we started receiving calls from clients who said they had seen on social media that hotels were closing,” said the agent, Lisette Cormier-Noël in a interview on the local Radio-Canada station.
As he explained, Air Canada announced to workers in the sector on Friday of the cancellation of some flights and the reaction was unstoppable. “People were calling us; it was total panic. ‘What do we do? Am I leaving? Shouldn’t I go?'” Things got worse this Monday, after Cuba issued a Notam (notice to aviators) explaining that there was no kerosene for international flights for at least a month. All Canadian operators have already canceled the high season and beyond.
To the announcement of Air Canada cancellation – which claimed to be prepared to repatriate some 3,000 tourists – until May 1, Air Transat (until April 30) and WestJet and Sunwing (both until April 25) joined hours later.
The cancellation announcement by Air Canada – which stated that it was prepared to repatriate some 3,000 tourists – until May 1 was joined hours later by Air Transat (until April 30) and WestJet and Sunwing (both until April 25).
The first of them began with a more optimistic message. Despite being forced to cancel two flights this Monday, to Holguín and Varadero, her first reaction was to affirm that she maintained her intention not to alter her service. Within a few hours there was a change of mind. “Due to the aircraft fuel shortage announced by the Cuban authorities and the recent evolution of the situation, Air Transat is temporarily suspending all flights to Cuba until April 30, 2026. Air Transat will contact all affected customers directly. We understand how important your travel plans are and we sincerely apologize for this interruption,” the company said. company on its website after 8:30 at night.
The airline indicated that those who planned to travel to the Island on the affected dates will have their money fully returned, while those who are stranded in Cuba will be repatriated in the coming days in a plan yet to be finalized. “We understand that this situation may be worrying and we want to assure you that our main priority is to take you home,” they stressed.
For their part, WestJet and Sunwing – both belonging to the same group – stated during the morning that operations would continue. “All flights will carry sufficient fuel to ensure safe departure without relying on local fuel availability. At this time, there are no safety concerns for our guests.” But they also changed their minds.
“To lessen the pressure on local resources, starting today, WestJet will depart Canada with empty planes to support the organized return of travelers currently vacationing in Cuba,” the airline wrote in a communication at night.
The situation is not surprising. The operators Canadians have released a list of the hotels they work with that are affected by closures to save resources. Three of them are in Cayo Santa María (Valentin Perla Blanca, Sol Cayo Santa María and Melia Buenavista), five in Cayo Coco (Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar, Gran Muthu Imperial Cayo Guillermo, Iberostar Origin Daiquiri, Tryp Cayo Coco and Hotel Mojito), one in Varadero (El Patriarca) and another in Holguín (Gran Muthu Ensenada).
In addition, tour operators have had to organize a flexible reservation and cancellation plan that allows the trip to be rescheduled or change destinations with economical facilities. “At least they have implemented measures to ensure that customers do not lose their money,” said Cormier-Noël, who laments a much worse situation: that of citizens. “There are people who have no electricity, no food, no drinking water,” he admits.
On social networks, travel agents cannot cope and ask clients for patience due to the hundreds of clients who try to contact them without success. The requests for patience and thanks for having it alternate with complaints against Donald Trump – who is accused of preventing oil from reaching the Island – and apologies to the Cubans. “I am devastated for all of us who love Cuba and have no idea how to support the people,” said one client. “If the airlines go, no one should cancel. Cuba needs us now more than ever,” asked another, before knowing Air Transat’s final decision.
“I am devastated for all of us who love Cuba and have no idea how to support the people,” said one client.
And there are those who, despite everything, persist in their ignorance of the geopolitical context. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning and I’m really looking forward to it,” Eric and Francine, a Canadian couple, told Radio-Canada before the cancellation of all the companies was revealed. Both travel to the Island every year, which means that they are part of the 754,010 tourists who chose the Island in 2025 from Canada, the main nationality, although with 12.4% less than the previous year. Only in the first two months of the year, Cuba received 176,611 Canadians –88,980 in January and 87,631 in February–, although it was already a significantly lower number than the same period of the previous year, when there were 261,009. The number of tourists who are now in Cuba has not been announced, without knowing exactly how they are going to return home, but there are thousands spread across various parts of the Island.
The warnings from the Canadian Government have taken their toll on these figures, which in October 2023 raised the travel alert to Cuba from green to yellow – the second risk level of the five possible – and just last week warned that “the situation is unpredictable and could worsen, altering the availability of flights at short notice.” Although Eric and Francine persisted just yesterday. “We’re not too worried about the oil shortage. It’s a little stressful to think about whether we’ll have to go back or not. But whatever happens, happens. And we’ll go back if we have to. It’s not the end of the world,” they said. Before the measures announced at the last minute were, surely, the end of your vacation.
