Air access to Cuba is shrinking fast as a month long aviation fuel shortage forces major international airlines to overhaul or halt their schedules. In the latest blow, Air Canada has suspended its services to the island, joining a growing list of carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, WestJet, Air France and others that are curtailing or radically adjusting flights amid a refuelling crisis touching all nine of Cuba’s international airports. For travelers, the sudden shift means cancellations, diversions, and a wave of uncertainty at the height of the winter sun season.
A Sudden Fuel Cutoff that Grounded a Nation
The disruption traces back to an aviation notice issued by Havana’s José Martí International Airport, which warned that Cuba’s airports would be without Jet A 1 aviation fuel for a full month. According to that notice, from February 10, 2026, at 05:00 UTC until at least March 11, 2026, at 05:00 UTC, airlines would not be able to refuel at any of the country’s nine international gateways, including Havana, Varadero, Holguín, Cayo Coco, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Cienfuegos and Manzanillo. For a country almost entirely dependent on airlift for international tourism, the announcement is unprecedented in scale.
Even before the formal start date of the ban, the impact was visible in Cuba’s airspace. Flight tracking data on Monday, February 9 showed just a single commercial departure from Havana, a stark contrast to the usual tapestry of northbound and southbound routes criss crossing the Caribbean. Within hours, airlines began publicly detailing emergency plans, ranging from technical stops in third countries to outright suspensions of service.
This fuel crunch does not occur in a vacuum. Cuban officials and multiple international outlets have linked the shortage to tightened United States measures that have disrupted the island’s oil imports, particularly from Venezuela and Mexico. Those sanctions have tipped an already fragile energy system into crisis, forcing the government to ration electricity, reduce public transport, shorten workweeks and close or consolidate some hotels. Air transport has now become the latest, and most visible, casualty.
Air Canada’s Suspension Marks a Turning Point
Air Canada, the country’s flag carrier and one of Cuba’s most important tourism partners, announced on February 9 that it was suspending all service to the island effective immediately because of the aviation fuel shortage. The airline cited official advisories and the expectation that from February 10 aviation fuel would not be commercially available at Cuban airports. At the time of the decision, Air Canada was operating an average of 16 weekly flights to four Cuban destinations from Toronto and Montreal, including Varadero, Cayo Coco, Holguín and Santa Clara.
To protect customers already on the ground, Air Canada is operating a series of empty ferry flights southbound to repatriate roughly 3,000 travelers currently vacationing in Cuba. Those flights will depart Canada without passengers, uplift fuel before reaching Cuban airspace when needed, and return northbound with customers as close to the previously scheduled timetable as possible. Seasonal services to Holguín and Santa Clara have been cancelled for the remainder of the winter season, while year round flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco are suspended until at least early May, pending review.
In parallel, Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations have activated flexible policies allowing affected travelers to rebook to other destinations or obtain refunds. The move is an escalation from the more limited change fee waivers announced earlier in February in response to power cuts and resort closures on the island. For Canadian tour operators, who rely on Cuba as a marquee winter product, the suspension of a national carrier’s program is a major strategic setback.
How Other Major Airlines Are Responding
Air Canada’s suspension is part of a broader pattern of emergency adjustments across the global industry as the reality of operating without local fuel sinks in. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, WestJet, Air France and other carriers with Cuba programs have been forced onto a narrow set of options. Either they carry enough fuel to operate roundtrip legs without refuelling, add technical stops in nearby hubs, or temporarily scale back their schedules.
For some airlines, especially those operating narrowbody aircraft on relatively short routes from Florida, Cancun, Panama or other Caribbean points, tankering extra fuel is technically possible. Aircraft can depart their home base with sufficient reserves to handle the outbound and inbound sectors, at the cost of payload restrictions and higher burn rates. Others are planning refuelling stops in third countries such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico or the Bahamas, turning what were once non stop services into multi leg journeys that extend travel times and complicate crew scheduling.
Longer haul operators face a tougher calculus. European carriers linking Havana or Varadero to Madrid, Paris or Frankfurt have indicated that they will route flights via refuelling points in the Caribbean or Atlantic corridor. While some, like Air France and certain Spanish airlines, are attempting to maintain frequencies with added stops, the model becomes less sustainable the longer the fuel embargo persists. Each extra landing and takeoff adds cost and operational risk, potentially pushing marginal routes into loss making territory.
Although not every airline has opted for full suspension, the cumulative effect is a substantial reduction in Cuba’s seat capacity. Aviation analysts estimate that more than 400 scheduled weekly flights are directly affected by the fuel shortage, from major North American players to regional carriers and charter operators. Even where flights are not cancelled outright, the need for detours and fuel workarounds is leading to delays, missed connections and widespread uncertainty for passengers.
Inside Cuba’s Widening Energy Crisis
The aviation fuel shortage is the latest and most dramatic chapter in a broader energy crisis that has been building in Cuba for months. The island’s economy, already strained by years of low growth, a pandemic hangover and limited access to external financing, has been increasingly starved of fuel. Diesel and gasoline queues, rolling blackouts and curtailed public services became common features of daily life well before airlines received notice that Jet A 1 would run dry.
According to Cuban and foreign reports, the proximate cause lies in reduced oil shipments from long time ally Venezuela and the suspension of deliveries from Mexico, decisions shaped by the threat of United States tariffs and secondary sanctions on nations supplying crude to Cuba. With few alternative suppliers willing or able to fill the gap under those conditions, Cuba has leaned heavily on rationing and austerity. Government measures introduced in early February included shorter workweeks for state employees, reduced bus and train services between provinces, and the closure or consolidation of certain tourist establishments.
Officials in Havana have framed the crisis as externally imposed, pointing to Washington’s policies as an attempt to strangle the country’s economy and spark political instability. United States authorities, for their part, argue that targeted restrictions are aimed at the Cuban government rather than its people. Whatever the political narrative, the practical result is that energy scarcity now touches almost every sector, from hospitals and schools to agriculture and, increasingly, tourism.
Diplomatic outreach has intensified as the situation worsens. Russia has signaled a willingness to support Cuba and facilitate the repatriation of its own tourists, while Mexico has announced humanitarian assistance despite curtailing oil shipments. Cuban president Miguel Díaz Canel has publicly expressed openness to talks with the United States without preconditions, acknowledging the severity of the crisis. For now, however, these gestures have yet to translate into the steady flows of fuel required to keep the country’s airports fully operational.
The Blow to Tourism and Local Communities
The timing of the aviation fuel cutoff could hardly be worse for Cuba’s vital tourism industry. February and early March are peak months for visitors from Canada, Europe and Latin America fleeing northern winters. After years of depressed arrivals, the sector had been counting on a gradual rebound to bring much needed hard currency to state coffers and private entrepreneurs alike. Instead, hotel closures due to power shortages, constrained airlift and global headlines about stranded tourists risk deterring would be visitors well beyond the current crisis window.
In practical terms, the immediate impact falls on travelers already in destination and on those scheduled to arrive in the coming days and weeks. While major airlines such as Air Canada are mounting organized repatriation efforts and granting automatic refunds, thousands of independent travelers and passengers on other carriers face a patchwork of policies. Some airlines are offering date changes, alternate routings or travel vouchers. Others have yet to release comprehensive plans, leaving agents and passengers to navigate shifting conditions almost in real time.
Local communities feel the shock just as acutely. Many Cuban families rely on tourism related employment in hotels, restaurants, excursion companies and private homestays. When flights are cancelled, occupancy drops and tour operators scale back their programs, staff see hours reduced or contracts paused. Small businesses that depend on a steady stream of foreign visitors, from paladares to taxi collectivos and artisan markets, experience an abrupt fall in income. In regions heavily dependent on resort tourism such as Varadero, Cayo Coco and Holguín, the combination of blackouts and empty flights threatens to deepen an already precarious social landscape.
The damage may outlast the one month period formally covered by the aviation notice. Travelers tend to plan holidays months in advance, and images of darkened resorts or disrupted air services can linger in source markets. Even if fuel deliveries resume in March as currently signaled, tour operators and airlines will take time to rebuild confidence and capacity. For Cuba, the risk is that a short term logistics crisis morphs into a longer term reputational challenge.
What This Means for Travelers with Upcoming Cuba Plans
For tourists holding tickets to Cuba over the coming weeks, the situation demands close attention and rapid decision making. The first step is to check directly with the operating airline, rather than relying solely on booking platforms or third party agents. Many carriers are updating dedicated travel advisory pages detailing their approach to Cuba during the fuel shortage, including options for rebooking, rerouting or requesting refunds.
Passengers booked with Air Canada and its vacation arm are being offered full refunds in their original form of payment for canceled departures to Cuba, with no need to call a contact center. Other carriers may provide similar flexibility but often require proactive contact or action via online self service tools. Travel insurance policies that cover trip interruption or supplier default could also come into play, although coverage details vary widely and may hinge on whether the disruption is deemed a political act, an operational issue or a force majeure event.
Travelers already on the island should remain in regular touch with their airline and, if applicable, their tour operator’s local representatives. In many cases, return flights are being prioritized and maintained, even when outbound services are suspended. However, schedules may shift at short notice to accommodate technical fuel stops or aircraft substitutions. Keeping electronic boarding passes, paid receipts and any delay notifications will help if compensation claims become relevant once operations stabilize.
For those still in the planning phase, postponement may be the most prudent course during the core period of the fuel embargo. Alternative Caribbean destinations with stable air access and power supplies are likely to see increased demand as tour operators redirect capacity. Travelers determined to proceed to Cuba despite the uncertainty should prepare for potential itinerary changes, longer travel times due to refuelling stops and a reduced range of open hotels and services once they arrive.
Looking Ahead: Scenarios for Cuba’s Air Connectivity
How long the current disruption lasts will depend on both technical and political variables. On the technical side, the most immediate question is whether Cuba can secure enough aviation fuel by or before mid March to restore normal refuelling at its airports. Suppliers outside the traditional Venezuela and Mexico channels would need to be willing to navigate the legal and financial risks associated with United States measures. Even if alternative deliveries are arranged, integrating them into the island’s strained logistics network will take time.
Politically, the crisis intersects with a broader standoff between Havana and Washington that shows little sign of rapid resolution. Unless there is a meaningful easing of sanctions or a creative workaround that allows fuel to flow without triggering punitive tariffs, Cuba will remain vulnerable to recurrent shortages. Airlines, which plan schedules and fleet deployment months in advance, may respond by permanently reducing frequencies or consolidating routes, favoring destinations with more predictable operating environments.
For carriers that have suspended or significantly scaled back service, a cautious approach to resumption is likely. They will weigh not only fuel availability, but also hotel capacity, local infrastructure resilience and demand from their core customer base. Some may opt to restart with limited seasonal operations, testing the market before committing to a full program. Others could shift aircraft and marketing resources to competing sun destinations whose tourism industries are eager to capture displaced Cuba traffic.
For Cuban authorities, restoring confidence in the reliability of the country’s air transport system will be essential. That will require clear communication with airlines, tour operators and foreign governments, as well as transparent timelines for resolving the fuel shortage. In the meantime, the spectacle of empty runways and grounded flights serves as a potent reminder of how vulnerable an island nation can be when global politics intersect with the simple, indispensable need to keep planes fueled and tourists moving.