Another Airline Plans to Halt Flights to Cuba
Air France announced Wednesday that it will temporarily suspend flights between Paris and Havana because of Cuba’s ongoing fuel shortage, which is affecting tourism and other economic activity on the island.
The airline said flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to Cuba’s capital will stop on March 28 and are expected to resume on June 15. Currently, some return flights have been stopping in the Bahamas to refuel because of the limited availability of jet fuel in Cuba. Cuban authorities did not immediately comment on the announcement.
Cuba’s government informed airlines and pilots on Feb. 8 that jet fuel would not be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, until at least March 11. The shortage has added pressure to Cuba’s struggling tourism sector, which is already dealing with frequent blackouts, limited oil supplies, and broader economic challenges.
The island has long had tense relations with the United States. Earlier this year, oil shipments from Venezuela largely stopped after the United States targeted the Venezuelan government and detained its leader in January.
President Donald Trump later warned that tariffs could be imposed on any country that sells or ships oil to Cuba. The U.S. Treasury Department has since said licensed companies may be allowed to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba’s private sector, though the island’s economic and energy problems are expected to continue.
Several other airlines have already reduced or suspended service to Cuba. Air Canada announced on Feb. 9 that it would pause its flights to the country until further notice. Before the suspension, the airline operated about 16 weekly flights from Toronto and Montreal to four destinations across Cuba.
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