Cuba is confronting one of the most severe aviation disruptions in its recent history as a month long jet fuel shortage forces airlines to cancel flights, add emergency stopovers and rethink winter schedules. Cuban officials and international aviation notices confirm that from February 10 to at least March 11, 2026, Jet A 1 fuel is not available at the country’s main international airports. The government in Havana blames a tightening “oil blockade” linked to United States sanctions and pressure on suppliers, while travelers and tourism operators face mounting uncertainty at the height of the Caribbean high season.
A Sudden Fuel Drought at Nine International Airports
The immediate shock came via the global NOTAM system, which alerts pilots and airlines to operational hazards. In early February, notices were published stating that Jet A 1 fuel “not available” would apply nationwide, covering nine of Cuba’s international airports, including Havana, Varadero, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Camagüey, Cayo Coco, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and Manzanillo. The validity period runs from February 10, 2026, at 05:00 UTC until at least March 11, 2026, with aviation authorities warning that the end date could shift if supply conditions fail to improve.
In practical terms, that means aircraft cannot rely on refuelling in Cuba for at least a full month. Airlines are being told that they must either “tanker” in additional fuel from their point of origin, insert technical stops in nearby countries such as Mexico or the Dominican Republic, or temporarily suspend service to Cuban destinations. These options sharply raise operating costs and reduce the flexibility of carriers already working with razor thin margins on leisure routes.
Havana’s José Martí International Airport, the country’s main international gateway, has been particularly affected. The same NOTAM that announced the fuel shortage also flagged maintenance issues with landing aids and limits on certain runway frequencies, underscoring the wider strain on Cuba’s aviation infrastructure. What would be a serious inconvenience in any country has escalated into a full blown crisis in an economy heavily dependent on foreign visitors.
US Sanctions and the “Oil Blockade” Behind the Crisis
Cuban officials and state aligned media insist that the aviation fuel shortage is the direct consequence of intensified United States sanctions that restrict oil shipments to the island. Over the past several years, Washington has expanded measures targeting shipping companies, insurers and intermediaries that transport crude and refined products to Cuba, particularly from traditional allies such as Venezuela and Mexico. That pressure has limited the number of tankers willing to call at Cuban ports and raised the cost and risk of each shipment.
The government in Havana describes the situation as an “oil blockade,” arguing that it is not simply an internal management failure but the result of deliberate efforts to cut the island off from its main energy suppliers. Aviation kerosene is only one part of a broader energy picture in which power plants struggle to secure enough fuel oil, refineries operate below capacity, and the domestic transport network faces chronic shortages of gasoline and diesel. In this environment, the reserves of Jet A 1 that feed the civil aviation system have become exceptionally vulnerable.
Independent analysts tend to see a combination of external and internal factors. On the one hand, there is no question that sanctions and financial restrictions complicate every step of Cuba’s oil procurement. On the other, years of underinvestment, chronic inefficiencies and mounting sovereign debt have eroded the country’s ability to diversify energy sources and maintain strategic reserves. The result is a system operating with virtually no buffer, where a disruption in deliveries translates quickly into visible shortages at airports, petrol stations and power plants.
Airlines Pull Back, Routes Rewritten Overnight
The response from airlines was swift. Canadian carriers, which dominate winter tourism to Cuba’s beach resorts, were among the first to scale back. Air Canada announced a temporary suspension of regular flights to the island, prioritizing “ferry” operations to repatriate several thousand holidaymakers already in destinations such as Varadero, Cayo Coco and Holguín. Other Canadian airlines, including WestJet and Transat, followed with their own suspensions or drastic schedule reductions, citing the inability to refuel on Cuban soil.
European and Latin American carriers have opted for a mix of contingency tactics. Some are tankering additional fuel from departure airports in Madrid, Paris, Mexico City or Panama City, allowing them to operate round trip flights without taking on fuel in Havana or Varadero. Others are inserting intermediate stops in regional hubs such as Cancún or Santo Domingo, where aircraft can refuel before continuing to or from Cuba. Low cost operators serving the Cuban market are particularly exposed, as longer routings and extra fuel loads undermine the economics of budget leisure flights.
For passengers, the practical impact comes in the form of cancelled departures, long delays, rerouted itineraries and unexpected overnight stays in third countries. Airline call centers and social media channels have been flooded with questions from travelers unsure whether their flights will operate, while tour operators scramble to rebook or reroute customers to alternative Caribbean destinations that are not facing similar constraints.
Chaos at Resorts and Airports as Tourists Scramble
On the ground in Cuba, the jet fuel shortage has quickly translated into palpable disruption. At José Martí International Airport in Havana and at key resort gateways like Jardines del Rey Airport in Cayo Coco, travelers have faced crowded terminals, long queues at airline counters and shifting departure times as carriers attempt to coordinate limited operations and repatriation flights. Some visitors report learning of cancellations only after arriving at the airport, triggering stressful scrambles for information and accommodation.
In the northern keys and Varadero, hotel managers have been forced into what they describe as “operational triage.” With tourism infrastructure already strained by intermittent electricity and limited supplies of diesel for generators, properties are concentrating guests into fewer buildings or sister hotels to conserve energy. Tourists are being moved from smaller or more remote resorts to larger complexes closer to functional power lines and fuel deliveries, disrupting carefully planned holidays and excursions.
The situation is further complicated by parallel shortages on the roads. Domestic fuel restrictions have produced long lines at petrol stations and strict limits on purchases. This not only affects local residents but also the buses and vans that transfer tourists between airports, cities and resorts. In some cases, trips that would normally take a few hours have been rescheduled or consolidated, leaving visitors waiting for shared transfers or facing late night arrivals after circuitous routing.
A Tourism Industry Already Under Pressure
The aviation fuel crisis has hit an industry that was far from robust to begin with. Cuba’s tourism sector has struggled to regain pre pandemic momentum amid economic turbulence, supply shortages, and lingering reputational damage from periods of unrest and blackouts. Official figures for 2025 suggest total visitor arrivals were well below government targets, with Canada, Russia and key European markets failing to deliver the volumes hoped for.
Winter, and especially the February to March window, is critical. This is when Canadian and European holidaymakers escape northern cold for the beaches of Varadero, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Santa María and Cayo Largo del Sur. Tour operators package these destinations into all inclusive deals that rely on predictable airlift and stable on the ground services. By severing or weakening that air bridge at the height of the season, the fuel shortage threatens a core revenue stream for hotels, state run tourism companies and private sector guesthouses alike.
In the short term, hotels are already recording higher cancellation rates, shortened stays and reduced bookings for the coming weeks as travelers opt for more reliable Caribbean alternatives like the Dominican Republic, Mexico’s Riviera Maya and Jamaica. Medium term, there is a risk that tour operators will allocate fewer seats and less marketing budget to Cuba in upcoming winter seasons, judging the island a higher risk proposition than its regional competitors.
Are US Travelers and International Tourists Still Going?
For visitors from the United States, the picture is particularly complex. Travel to Cuba from the US remains subject to longstanding restrictions and specific categories of authorized travel, even as flights have expanded in recent years to link cities in Florida and other gateways to Havana and several provincial airports. The jet fuel crisis adds another layer of uncertainty onto an already regulated market, potentially discouraging even those travelers who meet legal requirements and are willing to navigate bureaucratic hurdles.
Some US bound flights to Havana continue to operate using tanker strategies or technical stops, but schedules are in flux and further cancellations remain a possibility if the fuel shortage extends beyond March 11. Travel advisors who specialize in Cuba report a spike in queries from clients questioning whether now is the right time to visit or whether trips should be postponed to later in the year. Many are advising flexibility and close monitoring of airline announcements, particularly for itineraries involving onward domestic flights within the island, which are especially vulnerable.
Travelers from Europe and Latin America face fewer legal constraints but similar operational uncertainties. The core question for all markets is whether airlines can maintain enough capacity, at acceptable cost, to support scheduled and charter services until fuel supplies normalize. If not, even determined visitors may find it logistically difficult to reach Cuban destinations without complicated routing and higher fares.
Is Cuba’s Tourism Industry Fundamentally at Risk?
Whether the current jet fuel shortage represents a short sharp shock or a deeper structural threat to Cuban tourism depends largely on its duration and on how quickly authorities can stabilize energy supplies. A one month disruption, while painful, might be absorbed as an exceptional event if airlines restore schedules, tour operators regain confidence and the government can credibly signal that similar crises are unlikely in the near term. Recovery would still entail repairing reputational damage among travelers who experienced cancellations or uncomfortable stays amid blackouts and fuel lines.
The greater risk is that this crisis becomes a recurring or prolonged pattern. Cuba’s aviation and tourism sectors are tightly intertwined with the island’s overall energy system, which is itself vulnerable to external pressure, aging infrastructure and financial constraints. If airlines and tour operators perceive the country as a place where fuel shortages, power cuts and logistical bottlenecks are recurrent, they may gradually reduce capacity and investment, reallocating aircraft and marketing to more predictable Caribbean destinations.
There is also the question of competition. Neighboring islands and coastal regions are actively courting the same winter sun markets that Cuba depends on. They offer broadly similar climates, beaches and all inclusive products, often with fewer political and operational complications. Each episode of travel chaos in Cuba nudges a proportion of travelers to try alternatives, and some of those may not return. Over time, that erosion could hollow out Cuba’s place in the regional tourism hierarchy.
What Travelers Should Expect in the Coming Weeks
For would be visitors with trips scheduled between now and mid March 2026, the most important step is to stay in close contact with airlines, tour operators and travel agents. Flight schedules may continue to shift as carriers adjust operations, add refuelling stops or announce new suspensions in response to evolving fuel availability. Passengers should be prepared for the possibility of last minute changes, longer travel times and, in some cases, rerouting to alternative destinations.
On the island, travelers should anticipate potential knock on effects beyond the airport. Local transport may be constrained by broader fuel rationing; excursions and long distance transfers could be rearranged or consolidated; and hotels may implement energy saving measures such as rotating generator use or concentrating guests into specific wings or properties. While most tourism providers are doing their best to shield guests from the worst impacts of the crisis, the overall environment is more fragile and less predictable than in a normal high season.
Looking beyond March 11, much hinges on whether Cuba can secure new oil shipments and rebuild sufficient aviation fuel reserves to reassure airlines. Even if NOTAMs are lifted, some carriers may take a cautious approach, restoring capacity gradually rather than immediately returning to pre crisis schedules. For the island’s tourism industry, the current jet fuel shortage is both an acute emergency and a warning shot, underscoring how exposed a travel dependent economy becomes when its energy lifelines are squeezed by geopolitics and systemic vulnerabilities.