14ymedio, Havana, 17 March 2024 — The German operator Touristik Union International (TUI) announced that it is canceling the only service that connects Cuba with the Netherlands due to a shortage of customers. “There is not enough demand for this destination,” a TUI spokeswoman told the Luchvaart Nieuws website. Thus, from mid-May, there will be no more flights between the airports of Schiphol, in Amsterdam, and Varadero, in Matanzas.
Up to now, that flight has been operating on a weekly basis and makes a stopover in Varadero on its route to Cancun, Mexico, but the limited number of passengers who disembark and embark at Juan Gualberto Gómez airport is not profitable for the German company.
That flight operates on a weekly basis and makes a stopover in Varadero on its route to Cancun
“Travelers who have already booked a trip (after mid-May) will be personally informed by TUI or the travel agency with which they booked,” the spokesperson explained. The airline will also cancel the flights for the next winter season and does not plan to resume the route to the Cuban destination in the future.
The company will maintain, however, its flights to Cancun from Amsterdam, once a week without a stopover, and another with a stopover in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
In 2019, KLM Airlines, which was flying between Schiphol and Havana, suspended its operations due to the crisis caused by COVID-19. With the interruption of TUI’s services, Cuba has no direct connection with the Netherlands.
Luchvaart Nieuws adds that since the US abolished the visa exemption for those who have traveled to Cuba, interest in the Island as a tourist destination has decreased in that market. As provided by the measure that came into force in July 2023, if a traveler has visited the Island from 2021 and wants to enter the United States, they must apply for the B1/B2 visitor visa, which is more expensive and takes time.
The company will maintain its flights to Cancun from Amsterdam, once a week without a stopover, and another with a stopover in Montego Bay
The best alternatives for residents of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg who want to travel to Cuba will be the routes that operate between the airports of Frankfurt and Paris to Havana and Varadero
In December 2023, TUI announced that, beginning in May of this year, it will suspend the route that connects the city of Manchester, in the United Kingdom, and Varadero.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
