Havana/The Canadian airline Air Canada suspended its flights to Cuba this Monday due to the critical shortage of kerosene that the country faces. Through a statement, the company indicated that the measure will directly impact around 3,000 passengers who are stranded on the Island, so it will send empty flights to transport them back to their country.
“Air Canada made this decision following the notices issued (Notam) about the unreliability of the supply of aviation fuel at Cuban airports,” the statement said. The firm said that, as of February 10, aviation fuel will no longer be available for purchase at the island’s airports. “For the remaining flights, Air Canada will transport additional fuel and make technical stops to refuel on the return journey if necessary,” it states.
The message from the Cuban authorities to pilots and controllers specifies that the kerosene deficit affects all of Cuba’s international airports. The nine air terminals affected are José Martí in Havana, Juan Gualberto Gómez in Varadero, Jaime González in Cienfuegos, Abel Santamaría in Santa Clara, Ignacio Agramonte in Camagüey, Jardines del Rey in Cayo Coco, Frank País in Holguín, Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba and Sierra Maestra in Manzanillo. The validity period of the notification is for one month, from February 10 to March 11.
The kerosene deficit affects all of Cuba’s international airports
Given this, the airline reported that flights to Holguín and Santa Clara are canceled “for the rest of the season”, while flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco, which operate year-round, are currently suspended “with a tentative restart, pending review, on May 1.”
In total, Air Canada operates, on average, 16 weekly flights to four destinations in Cuba, from Toronto (four weekly flights to Cayo Coco, two to Holguín, four to Varadero and one flight per week to Santa Clara) and Montreal (three weekly flights to Cayo Coco and two to Varadero).
Other Canadian airlines have issued their own travel alerts or implemented more flexible cancellation options. Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat and Sunwing announced options to reschedule or cancel without penalty. WestJet, in its notice, cited “power outages” as the reason for alerting all flights to and from Cuba from Sunday through February 26, 2026.
From Spain, Iberia and Air Europa reported this Monday that their flights traveling from Havana (Cuba) to Madrid will require a technical refueling stop in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. The measure replicates what has happened in previous similar situations in Cuba – both in the Special Period in the 1990s and in temporary “bottlenecks” in recent months –, when airlines had saved the problem by rearranging their exit routes from the Island with extra stops to refuel in Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
The measures that have been taken from Canada are the ones that hit the country the most and could end up succumbing to one of the sectors to which the Government clings.
However, the measures that have been taken by Canada are the ones that hit the country the most and could end up succumbing to one of the sectors to which the Government clings. Tourism from that country, the first historical source of travelers to the Island, has improved slightly in recent months, but continues to register considerable losses compared to the past. In 2025, 754,010 Canadian visitors12.4% less than the previous year, and a tragedy if the 1.3 million of 2015 is taken as a reference. The case is relatively similar to that of Russia, where an enormous publicity was made to achieve 200,000 travelers after the success of recent years and which has remained at a very poor number: 131,882, 29% less than in 2024.
Cuba closed 2025 with only 1,810,663 international visitorsfar from the 1.9 million predicted in Parliament in mid-December and even worse when compared to what was planned a year ago. The forecast then was 2.6 million, 30.3% more than what was finally achieved.
The United States oil siege has also caused the governments of America and Europe to issue warnings to your potential travelers. The messages follow the same pattern and call for caution due to worsening shortages of electricity, fuel and basic needs, including food, water and medicine, which may also affect tourist resorts.
These announcements come amid complaints on social networks that several hotels have been closed
These announcements come amid complaints on social networks that several hotels are have been closed and their guests relocated to other establishments.
Faced with such a scenario, this Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that Russia is seeking solutions together with the Cuban authorities and indicated that it will do everything possible to help in the airport crisis and encourage the return of Russian tourists. “Both through diplomatic channels and other means, we maintain intense contacts with Cuban friends,” declared Peskov in his daily telephone press conference, noting that “the situation in Cuba is really critical.”
