From Cancellations To Tech Stops: How Airlines Are Coping With Cuba’s Fuel Shortage As Aviation Crisis Deepens Amid US Oil Blockade

Cuba just told airlines it’s out of jet fuel. That means some carriers have started cancelling flights, adding refuelling stops, or telling pilots to bring extra fuel along for the trip.

No Jet Fuel In Cuba: Airlines Disrupt Services As Aviation Crisis Deepens

On Monday, Cuba’s aviation authorities put out an advisory: no jet fuel available at any of the country’s international airports — and this will last for at least a month.

Cuba usually depends on Venezuela for jet fuel, but U.S. sanctions have cut off a lot of that supply. To make things even tougher, President Trump threatened tariffs on any country selling oil or fuel to Cuba. So now, the island is running dry, and airlines can’t refuel there.

From the U.S., American Airlines, Delta, and Southwest all fly direct to Cuba. American and Delta say they’re sticking to their regular schedules.

Airlines Scramble As Cuba Warns Of Month-Long Jet Fuel Shortage

Southwest, though, told Business Insider it’s making sure every plane heading to Cuba carries enough fuel to get to its next stop.

In Canada, some airlines aren’t even trying. Air Canada used to fly to Cuba 32 times a week, but it’s suspending service as of Monday. The airline plans to send in empty planes loaded with extra fuel to pick up the roughly 3,000 customers already on the island. Even then, those return flights might need to stop somewhere else to refuel.

WestJet and Air Transat, two other Canadian carriers, say they’ll do the same, fly in empty planes to get their customers home. Air Transat said it’s suspending all Cuba flights until at least April 30.

No Refuelling In Cuba: Airlines Carry Extra Fuel Or Ground Flights

Several international airlines are hanging in there, but many will have to make extra stops to refuel. Air Europa, from Spain, said its flights between Havana and Madrid will now stop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for fuel that’s about two hours off the usual route.

“We’re sorry for the trouble,” Air Europa told passengers, adding this mess is out of their hands.

Iberia (Spain’s national airline), Air France, and Turkish Airlines still fly to Cuba, but they haven’t said how they’ll handle the fuel crunch. Odds are, they’ll need to add refueling stops, too.

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