MONTREAL — Air Canada, the nation’s flagship carrier, has announced an immediate suspension of all commercial flights to Cuba effective Monday, citing a critical shortage of aviation fuel at the island’s airports that has jeopardized operational safety. The airline confirmed in an official statement that commercially available jet fuel is projected to become entirely unavailable at Cuban aviation facilities starting February 10th.
The decision comes amid a severe energy crisis in Cuba, which industry analysts attribute to intensified geopolitical pressures and economic sanctions. In response to the service suspension, Air Canada has initiated a special repatriation operation, deploying aircraft without passengers to Cuban destinations specifically to retrieve Canadian travelers currently stranded in the country.
This development represents the most significant disruption to Canadian-Cuban air connectivity in recent history, potentially affecting thousands of travelers during the peak winter travel season. Aviation authorities are monitoring the situation closely as other international carriers serving Cuban routes evaluate their operational contingencies amid the escalating fuel availability crisis.