The Spanish company maintains four weekly flights to Havana and plans to expand operations despite the fuel crisis and the collapse of tourism
14ymedio, Madrid, August 29, 2026 / Air Europa’s bet on maintaining its flights to Cuba this summer is proving more profitable than expected. Juan José Hidalgo’s airline remains the only Spanish company operating regular trips to the island following the departure of Iberia, World2Fly and Plus Ultra, and its flights have found sustained demand, despite its high fares.
In July, the airline added a new frequency to Cuba, bringing its weekly flights to the island to four. Its planes must make a stopover in the Dominican Republic to refuel, due to the kerosene crisis affecting the island. Air Europa stated at the time that it was considering “increasing frequencies to six in November” if results were favorable.
So far, the strategy appears to have worked, since Spain is the second most common country of residence for Cubans living outside the island.
Air Europa’s bookings confirm the expansion of operations: up to five or six weekly flights in December and a daily frequency starting April 1, 2027. Prices are around 1,000 euros in October and reach about 1,400 during the Christmas season.
The island’s leaders have expressed their gratitude for Globalia’s commitment to maintaining its operations in Cuba
The Hidalgo family also appears interested in maintaining its ties with the Cuban government. The island’s leaders have expressed their gratitude for the commitment of Globalia – the tourism group owned by the Hidalgos – to maintaining its operations in Cuba, where it is also developing real estate projects.
Not everything seems to be going well for Air Europa this year: the company is under judicial investigation over the 475 million euro bailout it received from the Spanish state in 2020. Last June, a Madrid court admitted the criminal complaints filed by the PP and Vox over an alleged crime of administrative malfeasance.
In 2026, numerous airlines have suspended their flights to Cuba, reduced frequencies, or modified their operations due to the fuel shortage and falling demand. Some have had to add technical stopovers in third countries to refuel before continuing on to the island. Among the companies that have withdrawn are Air Canada, Air France, WestJet, Sunwing, Air Transat, Iberia, Latam Perú and Turkish Airlines.
“Flights to Havana, scheduled to begin on October 25, have been canceled”
The Turkish airline, which holds 26.5% of Air Europa’s capital after investing 300 million euros in the company at the end of last year, had recently announced the renewal of its Moscow-Istanbul-Havana route, a decision that had raised expectations about the recovery of the Russian tourist market in Cuba. However, it became known this Thursday that the company had decided to cancel that route. “Flights to Havana, scheduled to begin on October 25, have been canceled,” a Turkish Airlines spokesperson told Diario de Cuba. For now, the airline maintains its connection to Havana via Panama, where passengers must change planes to continue their journey with Copa Airlines.
The withdrawal of several airlines from Cuba has not been a direct consequence of US sanctions against companies linked to the regime, as some media outlets have suggested, but rather of the kerosene crisis, falling demand, and the collapse of tourism. These factors are related to the profound crisis affecting the island, worsened this year by Washington’s oil blockade against Cuba and OFAC sanctions against the economic pillars of the Cuban regime.
Air China, the other operator maintaining the Madrid-Havana route, retains two weekly frequencies. According to the reservation system, the Chinese state airline will maintain these operations until the summer of 2027. Iberia, for its part, has extended the suspension of its flights until July 2027, although it continues to offer connections to Havana via Panama City, with the final leg operated by Copa.
Translated by GH.
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