Air Canada on Monday suspended all flights to Cuba, citing a severe aviation fuel shortage on the island, following warnings from Cuban authorities that international airlines may no longer be able to refuel at the country's airports.
"Air Canada said that effective today it is suspending its service to Cuba due to an ongoing shortage of aviation fuel on the island. Over the following days, the airline will operate empty flights southbound to pick up approximately 3,000 customers already at destination and return them home," said a statement by the airline.
The airline said that the decision followed government advisories over the unreliability of aviation fuel supplies at Cuban airports, with fuel projected to be commercially unavailable as of Feb. 10.
"Air Canada will continue to monitor the situation to determine an appropriate restart of normal service to Cuba at a future date," it added.
The decision comes after the Cuban government announced that international flights would no longer be able to refuel there due to aviation fuel shortages, after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells oil to the island.
Since the Trump administration's Jan. 3 military operation to take Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime supporter of Cuba's government, it has sought to strengthen the US position on Cuba.
In a late January executive order, Trump described the Cuban regime as posing "an unusual and extraordinary threat," saying that a declaration of a national emergency was necessary.
Cuba meets about one-third of its energy demand with domestic production, according to sources cited by the Spanish wire service EFE. For the remainder, it depends on imports, primarily from Mexico and, to a lesser degree, Russia, with Venezuela accounting for around 30% of total supplies in 2025.
This week, the Cuban government unveiled a strict emergency plan that includes closing some hotels, cutting back hours at public offices and hospitals, and banning the sale of diesel in an effort to subsist without imported crude oil and its derivatives.
By Merve Aydogan in Hamilton, Canada
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr