China Arranges Replacement Flight for Stranded Air China Passengers in Cuba as Fuel Crisis Disrupts Air Travel
Why It MattersCuba's jet fuel shortage is shrinking international airline access to the island, leaving carriers and governments improvising exit routes for travelers while foreign advisories warn options could narrow further.
China arranged a replacement flight for Air China service CA866, which connects Havana with Beijing, after repeated schedule changes and cancellations left passengers stranded. The Chinese embassy in Cuba announced the arrangement on October 19, attributing the repeated changes to "technical reasons". The replacement flight, CA590, departed Havana that night and landed in Nassau, Bahamas, with a scheduled continuation through Madrid before reaching Beijing. Other airlines have also been suspending or changing services.
Australia's Smartraveller advice tells people to reconsider their need to travel to Cuba because of serious fuel shortages affecting essential services. It warns that nationwide power blackouts are occurring, that shortages are affecting transport, food, medicines and drinking water, and that airlines have reduced or canceled flights, which could limit options for leaving Cuba.
The United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel to Cuba and says authorities have announced that international airports are without aviation fuel. Its travel advice, marked current on October 21, lists suspended services involving airlines including Air France, Iberia, LATAM, World2Fly and Canadian carriers, and warns that options for leaving the country could reduce further if the situation worsens. It also states that international Visa and Mastercard transactions are no longer accepted in Cuba and recommends bringing sufficient cash.
Travelers with upcoming itineraries to Cuba are advised to confirm flight status with their airline before departure, prepare for a possible delayed return, and review official government travel advice.
