Canadian airlines suspend flights to Cuba amid aviation fuel shortage

Air Canada had initially offered a flexible rebooking offer for those travelling to Cuba. Air Canada Vacations, the tour operating arm of the airline, is introducing a refund policy for those with scheduled departures.

For the returning flights from Cuba, “Air Canada will tanker in extra fuel and make a technical stop as necessary to refuel on the return journey if necessary,” the airline said. Those return flights are expected in the coming days.

Air Transat said bookings to Cuba between Wednesday and the end of April would be automatically cancelled and refunds issued.

WestJet, which acquired Sunwing in 2025, said it has activated flexible policies to allow travellers to adjust their plans without penalty.

“All flights will carry sufficient fuel to ensure a safe departure without relying on local fuel availability,” the airline said in an update on its website.

“At this time, there are no safety or security concerns for our guests who remain in Cuba.”

Martin Firestone, president of Toronto-based insurance brokerage firm Travel Secure Inc., said travellers with non-refundable trips to Cuba should consider purchasing cancellation or interruption insurance while they still can.

“I am getting many calls from people (asking), ‘can I buy cancellation if I buy this trip to Cuba’ and the answer is yes, still at this point. I can’t imagine how much longer the insurers will stay on board with this because really once something becomes a known cause it’s typically stopped or at least the offer is off the table,” Firestone said.

Last week, certain hotels were shuttered on parts of the island, with tourists transferred to resorts with higher occupancies. Earlier this month, the Cuba Tourist Board of Canada, which represents the country and is based in Toronto, said resorts were operating normally and food, fuel and supplies had been secured ahead of the peak season.

Moscou Côté, president of the Quebec Association of Travel Agents, said despite the difficulties, the level of service is on par with what travellers have experienced post-COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba.

“Overall we go to Cuba for the price and the price is still very attractive to Cuba,” he said.

There have been moments in the past where Cuban airports have seen a run on aviation fuel, requiring flights to make a stop in the Bahamas on the return home, he said.

“You have to understand that tour operators like Transat, Air Canada and Sunwing have been dealing with Cuba for over 30 years,” Côté said. “So they are used to these kinds of operational headaches.”

However, one commercial pilot told The Associated Press on Monday that while refuelling issues have occurred before, a situation of this scale is extraordinary even for an island accustomed to perpetual crisis.

Still, Côté said anyone looking to book a trip going to the island should wait a little bit.

“We’ll have a good idea in the next couple of days how the situation is managed and what to expect,” he said. “So I would think it might be a good idea to wait a couple of days, you know, just to make sure everything is properly addressed.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2026.

— with files from The Associated Press

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press