Cuba says airlines can no longer refuel on the island as U.S. blockade deepens energy crisis

The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots Feb. 8, warning that jet fuel won’t be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11.

Political pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on Latin America has effectively severed Cuba’s access to its primary petroleum sources in Venezuela and Mexico.

In late January, Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple an island plagued by a deepening energy crisis.

While the rationing may not disrupt shorter regional flights, it presents a significant challenge for long-haul routes from countries like Russia and Canada – a critical pillar of Cuba’s tourism economy.

On Monday, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to the island, while other airlines announced delays and layovers in the Dominican Republic before flights continued to Havana.

One pilot added that while refueling issues have occurred before, an official announcement of this scale is extraordinary even for an island accustomed to perpetual crisis. The last time such cuts occurred – more than a decade ago – aircraft bound for Europe refueled in Nassau, Bahamas, the pilot recalled. Now, regional airlines could avoid problems by bringing extra fuel, while others could refuel in Cancun, Mexico or in the Dominican Republic.

It remains unclear how long the notice will remain in effect and Cuban officials have made no public comments on the matter.

The fuel shortage deals another blow to a country that relies heavily on tourism, an industry that once generated $3 billion in annual revenue and served as a vital economic lifeline.

Cuban officials also announced Monday that bank hours have been reduced and cultural events suspended. In Havana, the public bus system has effectively ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic power outages and grueling fuel lines reach a breaking point.

The energy emergency has forced the suspension of major events like the Havana International Book Fair this weekend and a restructuring of the national baseball season for greater efficiency. Some banks have cut operating hours, and fuel distribution companies said they would no longer sell gas in Cuban pesos – and that sales will be made in dollars and limited to 5.28 gallons per user.

The latest measures add to others announced Feb. 6, including cuts to bus transportation and limited train departures.

On Feb. 5, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a two-hour televised address, acknowledging the impact and warning that measures would be taken in the coming days.

U.S. sanctions against Cuba have been in place for more than six decades and have long stunted Cuba’s economy. But they reached new extremes after a U.S. military operation deposed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Trump began to take an even more confrontational tone toward Latin America.

For many Cubans, the crisis has translated into power outages lasting up to 10 hours, fuel shortages for vehicles and a lack of food or medicine that many compare to the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the Special Period that followed cuts in aid from what was then the Soviet Union.