Air Canada Suspends Flight to Cuba
A Turkish Airlines plane takes off alongside an American Airlines plane at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Air Canada announced on Monday that it is pausing all flights to Cuba because airports on the island have warned they cannot guarantee aviation fuel supplies. Over the next few days, the airline will send empty planes to Cuba to bring home about 3,000 Canadian travellers who are already there.
The decision follows an international NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) from Havana’s José Martí International Airport and other Cuban airports saying that Jet A-1 fuel — the standard commercial aviation fuel — will not be available starting Tuesday and likely through March 11. That means airplanes would not be able to refuel there.
Canada’s federal government has also updated its travel advisory for Cuba, warning that fuel shortages could disrupt flights, power, transportation, resort services, and even food supplies, adding pressure to an already fragile situation.
Cuba has relied on oil shipments from Venezuela for years, but those shipments have stopped, and other suppliers have also cut back under pressure from the U.S., contributing to the current crisis.
The fuel shortage is expected to hit long-haul flights hardest — such as those between Canada and Cuba — while some short regional flights may still operate normally. But for many international carriers, the inability to refuel on the island forces cancellations or special arrangements like refueling stops elsewhere.
Other Canadian carriers are responding differently. WestJet and its subsidiary Sunwing say they will continue flights for now and have policies in place to allow flexible rebooking; they also point out that their aircraft carry enough fuel to depart Cuba without refuelling there. Air Transat says it was also told kerosene refuelling is temporarily suspended but plans to operate flights as scheduled with contingency measures.
One Canadian traveller, Ontario resident Kim Darby, told the CBC that while he’s disappointed his Air Canada trip to Cuba — where he enjoys fishing — was cancelled, he believes limited fuel and food resources should be directed toward Cuban residents rather than tourists. “If there are fuel shortages and food, it should go to the people,” the 71-year-old said. “Tourists can go elsewhere.”
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