Cuba suspends aircraft fuel supply for a month amid energy crisis

Tuesday 10 February 2026 - 08:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Cuba suspends aircraft fuel supply for a month amid energy crisis

Cuba has informed international airlines that jet fuel will be unavailable at all of the island’s airports for an entire month, forcing major carriers to suspend or reroute flights as the nation’s energy crisis reaches a critical level. Officials issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) warning that Jet A-1 aviation fuel will not be available from February 10 to March 11 at nine international airports, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, Varadero, Santa Clara, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and Cayo Coco. This move is expected to disrupt more than 400 scheduled weekly flights.

Air Canada, for example, announced the immediate suspension of its 16 weekly flights to four Cuban destinations and said it would dispatch empty aircraft to repatriate roughly 3,000 Canadian travelers stranded on the island. Other major airlines have had to adjust operations: Lufthansa suspended services between Frankfurt and Munich to Havana, and Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have cancelled or rerouted flights to Cuban destinations. Carriers that continue to fly to Cuba must consider carrying extra fuel or making technical stops in nearby countries such as the Dominican Republic or Mexico to refuel before proceeding to Cuba.

The aviation fuel shortage stems from a deepening energy crisis exacerbated by a campaign by the United States to restrict Cuba’s access to international oil supplies. US President Donald Trump recently declared that Cuba would no longer receive oil from Venezuela after a US military operation ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, and he has threatened tariffs on any nation that supplies fuel to Cuba. Mexico, which had become Cuba’s main oil supplier after Venezuelan deliveries ceased in December, also announced it was suspending shipments to avoid potential US retaliation.

The broader fuel crisis has forced Cuban authorities to implement emergency austerity measures across the economy. Officials have cut banking hours, cancelled cultural events and instituted a four-day workweek for state enterprises. Public transport in Havana has all but ground to a halt as shortages deepen. Cuba’s vital tourism sector, which once generated about $3 billion in annual revenue, is facing immediate losses as hotels in tourist zones relocate guests or partially close.

Cuban officials acknowledge the severity of the situation. Commerce Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva described the crisis in a televised press briefing, framing it as a significant challenge Cuba is confident it can overcome. “It is both an opportunity and a challenge that we are confident will be surmounted,” he said. “We will not falter.”