Spanish airlines Iberia and Air Europa announce technical stops to refuel in the Dominican Republic
14ymedio, Havana, February 9, 2026 – The Canadian airline Air Canada suspended its flights to Cuba this Monday due to the country’s critical shortage of jet fuel. In a statement, the company said the measure will directly affect around 3,000 passengers stranded on the island, for whom it will send empty planes to transport them back to their country.
“Air Canada made this decision following notices issued (NOTAMs) regarding the unreliability of aviation fuel supplies at Cuban airports,” the statement said. The company added that, as of February 10, aviation fuel will no longer be available for purchase at the island’s airports. “For remaining flights, Air Canada will carry additional fuel and make technical stops to refuel on the return journey if necessary,” it explained.
The message from Cuban authorities to pilots and air traffic controllers specifies that the jet fuel shortage affects all of Cuba’s international airports. The nine affected terminals 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 notification is valid for one month, from February 10 through March 11.
The jet fuel shortage affects all of Cuba’s international airports.
As a result, the airline reported that flights to Holguín and Santa Clara are canceled “for the remainder 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 an average of 16 weekly flights to four destinations in Cuba from Toronto: four weekly flights to Cayo Coco, two to Holguín, four to Varadero, and one weekly flight to Santa Clara; and from 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 rebooking or cancellation options without penalties. In its advisory, WestJet cited “power outages” as the reason for an alert covering all flights to and from Cuba from Sunday through February 26, 2026.
From Spain, Iberia and Air Europa reported on Monday that their flights traveling from Havana to Madrid will require a technical refueling stop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The measure mirrors what has occurred in similar previous situations in Cuba—both during the Special Period in the 1990s and during temporary “bottlenecks” in recent months—when airlines addressed the problem by rerouting departures from the island with extra stops to refuel in Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
However, the measures taken by Canada are the ones that hit the country hardest and could ultimately bring down one of the sectors the government clings to. Tourism from that country—the island’s historically largest source of visitors—has improved slightly in recent months but continues to register significant losses compared to the past. In 2025, 754,010 Canadian visitors were recorded, 12.4% fewer than the previous year, and a tragedy when compared to the 1.3 million in 2015. The situation is relatively similar to Russia’s, where a massive advertising push sought to reach 200,000 travelers after recent successes, but fell to a paltry figure: 131,882, 29% fewer than in 2024.
Cuba closed 2025 with just 1,810,663 international visitors, far from the 1.9 million forecast in Parliament in mid-December and even worse compared to plans made a year earlier. The projection then was 2.6 million, 30.3% more than what was ultimately achieved.
The U.S. oil squeeze has also led governments in the Americas and Europe to issue warnings to potential travelers. The messages follow a similar pattern, urging caution due to worsening shortages of electricity, fuel, and basic necessities—including food, water, and medicines—which can also affect tourist facilities.
These announcements come amid complaints on social media that several hotels have been closed and their guests relocated to other establishments.
Against this backdrop, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia is seeking solutions together with Cuban authorities and will do what it can to help address the airport crisis and facilitate the return of Russian tourists. “Through diplomatic channels as well as other avenues, we maintain intense contacts with our Cuban friends,” Peskov said during his daily phone briefing, noting that “the situation in Cuba is truly critical.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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