Country to ban all U.S. airlines from refueling stops

Following the U.S. operation that led to the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro at the start of January, President Donald Trump has made repeated threats on the Caribbean island nation of Cuba.

After calling the country “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security, the Trump administration has blocked all Cuban oil supplies and threatened to impose tariffs on any country that provides them.

With the main supply cut off following Maduro’s removal, the Cuban government warned that the country is close to running out of oil in a way that will disrupt any airlines trying to land there for refueling stops. For a month beginning Feb. 9, Cuba is suspending oil supplies to foreign airlines to address the energy crisis, CNBC reported.

Airlines cancel flights to Cuba as oil crisis intensifies

This means airlines including American Airlines, Air Canada, and Air France, which run multiple flights into the country, will need to either carry enough backup jet fuel or arrange for refueling stops in nearby Caribbean countries such as the Dominican Republic or Jamaica.

The move affects both the central Havana Jose Marti International Airport (HAV) and smaller airports in Cuban cities including Varadero, Holguín, Manzanillo, and Santa Clara.

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While Mexico had previously attempted to boost oil supplies to Cuba, the threat of tariffs has led to it pulling back. The humanitarian situation, reported by Reuters, has reached critical levels, where many portions of the country are left without power.

Canadian national airline Air Canada has made major cutbacks of its Cuba service and has run primarily non-revenue flights out of the country to get stranded travelers back home.

Air France has confirmed to French news service AFP that it will reroute its refueling stops to other countries in the Caribbean.

American Airlines, Air Canada flights affected by fuel shortage in Cuba

“We will operate as scheduled out of Cuba, carrying passengers to Canada,” an Air Canada airline representative said in a statement. “We continue to monitor the situation to ensure safe and reliable operations for our passengers and crew and will share more information as it becomes available.”

American Airlines, which at this time of the year runs more than 70 weekly flights to Cuban cities like Havana and Holguín from Miami International (MIA), is another airline that could see significant disruption by the Cuban NOTAM that prevents foreign carrier refueling.

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Although many airlines are significantly scaling back service, most will continue to run limited flights with workaround solutions for refueling in the hopes of a prompt resolution.

Despite current power shortages, Cuba remains a popular holiday destination for travelers from Canada and Mexico. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. also took significant steps to improve relations and open up travel to Americans.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel previously classified the current administration’s efforts to cut his country off from oil as a “fascist, criminal, and genocidal” attempt to “suffocate” the Cuban economy while also expressing the desire to negotiate if done in good faith and without pressure, Al Jazeera reported.

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