Air travel links between Canada and Cuba have been thrown into disarray as Air Canada suspends all flights to the island in response to a sudden shortage of aviation fuel. The move has stranded thousands of holidaymakers at Cuban beach resorts and city hotels just as the country heads into the heart of its peak winter tourism season. With airports across the island reporting that they can no longer provide jet fuel and authorities moving to shut low occupancy resorts to conserve energy, a cascading crisis is unfolding for both travelers and a tourism industry already under severe economic strain.
A Sudden Halt to a Vital Air Bridge
On February 9, 2026, Air Canada announced that it was suspending its service to Cuba effective immediately, citing official notices that aviation fuel would no longer be reliably available at Cuban airports as of February 10. The carrier, Canada’s largest airline and a key player in the winter sun market, said the decision followed government advisories and formal Notices to Air Missions indicating that Jet A-1 fuel supplies on the island had effectively run dry.
The suspension hits four of Air Canada’s principal Cuban gateways, including Varadero and Cayo Coco, which rank among the most popular beach destinations for Canadian travelers. Seasonal flights to other airports such as Holguín and Santa Clara have also been dropped, leaving a gap in air links at precisely the time of year when Canadians traditionally flock south to escape the winter cold.
Air Canada has framed the move as a safety and reliability measure, noting that while some airlines can tanker additional fuel or make technical stops on the return leg, the complete absence of local jet fuel for the coming weeks fundamentally alters the operational risk calculation. In a situation where refueling at destination cannot be guaranteed, the airline has opted to halt new departures and focus on getting existing customers home.
Jet Fuel Emergency Shuts Down Cuban Gateways
The airline’s abrupt decision follows a stark warning from Cuban aviation authorities. A series of international notices issued from Havana’s José Martí International Airport confirmed that Jet A-1 fuel would not be available from early February 10 through at least March 11, affecting nine key international airports across the country. That list includes Havana, Varadero, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Camagüey, Cayo Coco, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, and Manzanillo.
The notices mean airlines cannot rely on refueling after landing in Cuba, a basic requirement for the turnaround of commercial flights. While some carriers are exploring workarounds such as tankering additional fuel from origin or inserting refueling stops in neighboring countries like the Dominican Republic or Panama, the month-long window of zero fuel availability makes normal scheduling extremely difficult.
At critical resort gateways such as Cayo Coco’s Jardines del Rey Airport, the fuel crisis is compounded by restricted operating hours for meteorological and aeronautical information services, and technical issues with navigation equipment. This degraded infrastructure adds further complexity to airlines’ efforts to maintain some semblance of service into the northern cays and other key tourist zones.
Tourists Stranded as Empty Rescue Flights Begin
Air Canada estimates that approximately 3,000 of its customers are currently in Cuba and relying on the airline for their return to Canada. To bring them home, the carrier is dispatching empty southbound aircraft during the coming days, operating what are effectively ferry or rescue flights. These aircraft will arrive heavily fueled to avoid refueling in Cuba, collect passengers, and then depart for Canadian hubs with full loads but no fresh fuel taken on the island.
For travelers, the suspension has introduced immediate uncertainty. Holidaymakers in Varadero, Cayo Coco, Havana, and other resort areas are being advised to stay in touch with their tour operators and watch for notices of schedule changes and repatriation flights. While Air Canada insists its priority is to return customers as close as possible to their originally scheduled dates, the combination of fuel constraints, limited runway slots, and congested hotel capacity is making that a moving target.
At the same time, Canadian competitors such as Air Transat and WestJet-owned Sunwing have so far indicated they plan to maintain their Cuba schedules by flying in with enough fuel to cover both inbound and outbound journeys or by planning refueling stops outside Cuba. That patchwork response is creating an uneven landscape for travelers, where some Canadians will see their holiday plans go ahead with modifications while others are being abruptly rerouted or repatriated earlier than expected.
Major Resort Closures and Tourism Chaos on the Ground
The aviation crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of broader energy shortages that are forcing Cuba to take unprecedented steps in its tourism sector. Facing acute shortfalls not only of aviation fuel but also of diesel and gasoline, authorities are consolidating visitors into fewer properties and temporarily closing hotels with low occupancy to conserve power and basic supplies. Spanish hotel group Meliá has already shuttered several resorts, and more closures are expected as the crisis drags on.
For guests, these measures translate into last minute hotel changes, bus transfers across provinces, and downgraded services at resorts struggling with intermittent power, reduced air conditioning, and limited food variety. Tour operators are scrambling to reassign clients from shuttered properties to the remaining open hotels, which are often running near or above normal capacity as displaced tourists are squeezed in.
On the ground, the atmosphere in some resort enclaves has shifted from carefree holiday mood to an uneasy limbo. While beaches, pools, and entertainment programs continue in many places, there is growing frustration as visitors confront longer wait times, spotty information, and fears about how and when they will get home. For independent travelers who booked stays outside large tour packages, the lack of central coordination can be particularly challenging, with some left to negotiate directly with local hoteliers and taxi drivers in a context of soaring transport costs and fuel scarcity.
Economic Fallout for Cuba’s Fragile Tourism Industry
The timing of the jet fuel emergency could hardly be worse for Cuba’s economy. Tourism remains one of the island’s most important sources of hard currency, yet visitor numbers have failed to return to pre pandemic levels, and many resorts have been operating below capacity. The sudden disruption of air service at the height of the northern winter season threatens to erase months of hard won gains in occupancy and revenue.
Canada plays an outsized role in that equation. Canadians routinely rank among the largest segments of foreign visitors to Cuba, and Canadian companies are significant investors in mining and tourism projects. Losing direct service from Air Canada not only cuts off an essential travel channel but also sends a negative signal to the market about Cuba’s reliability as a destination, especially for packaged holidays that depend on predictable airlift.
On the supply side, the tourism shutdown will hit Cuban workers hard. From hotel staff in Varadero and Cayo Coco to taxi drivers in Havana and tour guides in Trinidad, many families rely on tips and wages from international tourism. A prolonged fuel and air travel crisis risks defaulted contracts, cut shifts, and job losses in a sector that had only just begun to recover from the collapse in travel during the pandemic years.
The Geopolitical Roots of a Jet Fuel Shortage
Behind the immediate aviation crisis is a complex geopolitical confrontation over Cuba’s access to oil. The island has long depended on shipments of crude and refined products from allies such as Venezuela and, more recently, Mexico. In the past two months, that lifeline has been tightened sharply after Washington moved to block Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba and threatened tariffs on any country that continues supplying fuel to the island.
Those measures have effectively halted oil shipments from both Venezuela and Mexico since mid December and mid January respectively, forcing Cuba to draw down already thin reserves and ration fuel across the economy. As supplies dwindled to critical levels, the government began rolling blackouts, instituted a four day work week for some state entities, and cut back public transport schedules. The announcement that jet fuel would disappear from airports for at least a month is the aviation sector’s share of that broader austerity.
United States officials have portrayed the pressure campaign as a way to weaken a government they describe as repressive and economically mismanaged. Cuban leaders in turn condemn the measures as a form of collective punishment that pushes the population, not the political elite, to the brink of humanitarian crisis. International observers and human rights groups have warned that the combination of power outages, medicine shortages, and supply chain breakdowns could escalate into a wider social emergency if the standoff persists.
Confusion, Cancellations, and What Travelers Need to Know
For travelers with upcoming trips to Cuba, the shifting landscape is generating confusion and a rush to adjust plans. Air Canada passengers booked in the coming weeks are being contacted with options that may include rebooking to later dates, rerouting to other sun destinations, or accepting refunds or travel credits. Because the suspension is open ended, with no firm restart date, many are choosing to divert their winter holidays to alternative Caribbean or Mexican destinations where fuel supply and air service remain stable.
Other airlines’ stances are more nuanced. While some European and regional carriers are introducing technical stops or reducing frequencies, others are temporarily maintaining service by tankering additional fuel. This patchwork means that day to day flight status can change rapidly, depending on the evolving fuel situation, aircraft availability, and bilateral aviation arrangements. Travelers planning independent travel to Cuba are being urged to monitor airline advisories closely and consider flexible or refundable booking options.
On the accommodation side, resort closures and consolidations are likely to continue as long as the energy crunch endures. Tour operators are updating their customers about hotel switches and possible downgrades or upgrades, sometimes with little notice. Independent guests may find that their chosen casas particulares or small hotels are affected by prolonged blackouts or food supply issues, and may need to move to alternate lodgings at short notice.
Uncertain Timeline and a Difficult Road Ahead
The official aviation notices suggest that Cuban airports will remain without commercial jet fuel until at least March 11, but even that date is tentative. Filling the storage tanks again will require not just the arrival of oil tankers but a broader easing of the political and financial obstacles that have choked off supplies. Cuban officials have spoken of diversifying energy partners and accelerating renewable projects, but such measures cannot quickly replace the volumes of jet fuel required to sustain normal tourism traffic.
For Air Canada, the suspension is officially described as temporary, with the airline pledging to monitor the situation and evaluate when it is safe and practical to restore normal service. Industry sources suggest that any resumption would likely be phased, beginning with the largest gateways such as Varadero and Cayo Coco and potentially using fuel tankering strategies or third country refueling as long as on island supplies remain fragile.
In the meantime, thousands of travelers and tens of thousands of Cubans employed in tourism are left in limbo. The current crisis underscores just how vulnerable island destinations can be to shocks in energy supply and international politics. Until jet fuel returns to Cuban runways in sustainable quantities, the country’s resorts, its airline partners, and its visitors will be navigating an uneasy, fuel starved holding pattern.