Flying To Cuba Gets More Difficult
Flying to Cuba has become more limited, and the problem could get even worse. This week, three Canadian airlines suspended their flights to the Caribbean country after Cuban officials told international carriers they could no longer refuel on the island, a move that comes as Cuba faces a severe oil shortage. Fuel shipments to the island have been cut off by the United States in a series of sanctions: first, via the U.S. military involvement in Venezuela, which was Cuba’s largest supplier of oil, then again by the Trump administration threatening punishment to any country that sends Cuba oil.
The island nation is not capable of supplying all of its oil, and relies heavily on foreign imports.
Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat all announced that they were suspending travel to Cuba this week, due to the oil situation. All have stopped flying passengers into Cuba, and are now flying out people who need to come back to Canada.
“WestJet is responding to the developing situation in Cuba and the latest travel advisory by Global Affairs Canada,” WestJet wrote on its website on February 9. “Aligning with our focus to put guests and crew first and protect the integrity of our operation, WestJet Group has made the decision to begin an orderly wind down of our winter operations to Cuba, this is inclusive of WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations and Vacances WestJet Quebec.”
On Monday, WestJet began flying empty aircraft to Cuba “to support the organized return of guests currently vacationing in Cuba. All aircraft dispatched to Cuba will carry sufficient fuel to safely depart without reliance on local fuel availability.”
Also on Monday, Air Canada suspended its service to Cuba, and said it would fly back customers who needed to return to Canada. The airline estimated there were some 3,000 people still waiting to return. Previously, the airline flew an average of 16 flights a week to four destinations in Cuba from Toronto and Montreal.
Air Transat said it was suspending flights to Cuba until April 30.
Some European airlines have reportedly begun to add stops to previously non-stop flights to Cuba, to allow for refueling. Air France reportedly has added a refueling stopover in the Bahamas, while other European carriers are said to be landing for fuel in the Dominican Republic before completing their journey to Cuba.
So far, the U.S. airlines that still fly to Cuba remain operational, although there have been reports of some cancellations. American Airlines offers more flights between the United States and Cuba than any other carrier, with up to 11 daily flights, most between Miami and Havana. At the time of this report, the company was still flying to Havana and other Cuban destinations. “We are closely monitoring the situation and continue to operate our full schedule,” said Laura Masvidal in American Airlines media relations. Bookings on its website between the United States and Havana were functioning normally.
Delta didn’t return a call for comment. Its website was still allowing bookings between Miami and Havana.
All of this change is having a visible effect on Cuba. “There are less cars on the road, now we hear that airlines are cutting flights because there is no jet fuel for them . . . there will be less tourists coming here. It’s going to be a chain reaction for the already struggling Cuban economy,” said CNN Havana bureau chief Patrick Oppmann during a report posted on CNN.
The news of flight cutbacks and further potential disruptions to travel comes less than two weeks before the annual Habanos Festival is scheduled to begin, an event that brings thousands of cigar lovers to Havana from all around the world.
