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Several Canadian airlines have issued travel advisories for Cuba as the Caribbean island’s major airport warns it will run out of jet fuel by Tuesday.
In an official notice called a NOTAM posted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website Sunday, Havana’s José Martí International Airport warns “Jet A1 fuel not available” as of Tuesday, with the warning running until March 11.
A NOTAM, or “notice to airmen,” is an official notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations, according to the FAA. The NOTAM for the Havana airport is classified as “international,” meaning it is meant to be viewed by multiple countries.
This comes days after Canada’s federal government issued a travel advisory for Cuba, warning that an ongoing shortage of fuel could affect resorts and flights.
Cuba has historically relied on Venezuela to provide much of its jet fuel, as Reuters points out, but the Caribbean island country has not received any crude or refined products from its top ally since mid-December, when the U.S. moved to block the South American country’s exports.
Now, several Canadian airlines have issued their own Cuba travel warnings or implemented more flexible cancellation options. Air Canada, WestJet Air Transat and Sunwing all announced flexible rebooking or cancellation options.
WestJet, in its notice, cited “power outage” as the reason for its advisory for all flights to and from Cuba from Sunday to Feb. 26, 2026.
The federal government has upgraded its travel advice for Cuba, warning Canadians planning a vacation to the island of worsening shortages of fuel and food. McKenzie MacMillan, a managing partner at The Travel Group, says he wasn’t surprised to hear about the alert.
“Because of the ongoing power outages and hotel closures in Cuba, we understand that you may want to make alternative travel arrangements,” Air Canada posted on its website Friday.
In addition, Transat noted that several resorts in Cuba had been shut down temporarily “due to low occupancy rates,” and is allowing affected customers to change the date, hotel, or destination of their trip without penalty.
“Air Transat, like other carriers, has been notified by Cuban authorities of a temporary suspension of kerosene refuelling at the country’s airports,” the airline wrote in a notice Monday morning.
However, it added, the airline still plans to operate flights as scheduled.
CBC News has reached out to each airline for comment and not yet heard back.
