Havana (Cuba): Air Canada has suspended flights to Cuba because of fuel shortages caused by the United States’ oil embargo against the socialist island, reported German news agency dpa.
The Canadian airline said on Monday it would temporarily halt passenger services to Cuba due to an ongoing shortage of aviation fuel.
In the coming days, Air Canada will only operate empty aircraft to the Caribbean nation to repatriate around 3,000 customers, in line with its regular flight schedule.
Canadians make up the largest share of tourists visiting Cuba.
“Air Canada will continue to monitor the situation to determine an appropriate restart of normal service to Cuba at a future date,” the airline said in a statement.
Cuba’s government earlier informed international airlines that refuelling on the island would no longer be possible from Tuesday as a result of the US oil embargo, media reported, citing pilots and airline officials.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also warned of potential fuel shortages at the airport in the capital Havana.
Other airlines have taken precautionary measures without suspending services entirely. Spain’s Air Europa, for example, plans to make refuelling stopovers in the Dominican Republic, according to the Spanish newspaper El País.
Iberia, like Air Canada, has offered passengers refunds or ticket changes.
Washington has stepped up pressure on Cuba’s communist government in recent weeks. Since December, the island has received no oil from Venezuela, a close ally of Cuba, after US President Donald Trump ordered a full blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.
Trump later threatened tariffs on Cuba’s oil suppliers. Mexico, most recently Cuba’s largest oil provider, has since halted its shipments.
For Cuba’s already struggling economy, the oil embargo represents a severe blow. – BERNAMA-dpa
