Airlines suspend Cuba flights amid jet fuel shortage after Trump tariff threats on oil shipments to island
Multiple airlines on Monday suspended flights to Cuba following warnings that the island is running low on jet fuel in the wake of President Donald Trump's tariff threats on oil shipments to the communist country.
At least three Canadian carriers, including the country’s largest airline, Air Canada, said aviation fuel is expected to be unavailable for commercial use at airports starting this week.
Other Canadian airlines, including low-cost carrier WestJet and leisure airline Air Transat, also canceled flights due to anticipated fuel shortages.
Cuban authorities issued a notice Sunday stating that aviation fuel will be unavailable at the country’s airports for one month, until March 11 at the earliest, as the Trump administration steps up economic pressure on the island nation's third-party oil suppliers.
On Monday, all three carriers issued similar notices canceling departures and announcing plans to operate repatriation flights over the coming days to retrieve customers currently in Cuba.
"Effective today it is suspending its service to Cuba due to an ongoing shortage of aviation fuel on the island," Air Canada said. "Over the following days, the airline will operate empty flights southbound to pick up approximately 3,000 customers already at their destination and return them home."
While WestJet said it will ensure its flights carry sufficient fuel to "safely depart without reliance on local fuel availability," Air Canada said its repatriation flights will arrive empty and make technical stops as necessary to refuel on the journey back.
Air Transat added that it will suspend flights to Cuba through April 30, and refund customers whose trips that have not yet begun.
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Multiple U.S. airlines told FOX Business that American operations to the island will continue without major disruptions.
Southwest and Delta Air Lines noted that the air carriers are currently operating one flight per day to and from Havana.
"Due to the current status of aviation fuel in Cuba, Southwest Airlines is requiring aircraft that fly to Havana to carry enough fuel to also fly to their next destination," the air carrier said. "The airline currently operates one flight daily to Havana. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."
Delta confirmed that its scheduled daily roundtrip between Miami and Havana remains unaffected by the fuel shortage, as the short route can be operated without carrying excessive fuel.
The island’s notice of a fuel shortage comes just two days after Cuban officials reportedly said air travel would not be immediately affected by the country's fuel rationing plan announced over the weekend.
According to Cuban media outlet Grito de Baire, Cuba's Minister of Transportation Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila said international airports is operating without difficulty.
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Reuters added that the Cuban Aviation Corporation published a statement Monday morning saying:
"We continue working tirelessly to ensure the safety, fluidity, and order of the airspace, supporting airline operations and ensuring that aviation in Cuba maintains the levels of reliability that characterize us."
Last month, Trump intensified economic pressure on Cuba by declaring a national emergency via an executive order in which he accused the country's communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply it with oil.
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The Jan. 29 executive order, which called the Cuban government "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to the U.S. and aims to protect American national security, has effectively crippled Cuba’s energy infrastructure by prompting major foreign partners, such as Venezuela and Mexico, to halt shipments to the island.
"The United States has zero tolerance for the depredations of the communist Cuban regime," Trump said in the order, adding that the administration will act to hold the regime accountable while supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for a free and democratic society.
FOX Business reached out to the White House and American Airlines for more information.
Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr and Reuters contributed to this report.