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2mo ago

Canadian Carriers and Tour Operators Suspend Cuba Service Indefinitely

The move reflects airline assessments that political and economic instability on the island plus recent U.S. actions have worsened fuel, food and power shortages.

An Air Canada flight departing for Toronto, bottom, taxis to a runway as a WestJet flight bound for Palm Springs takes off at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, March 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
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Travellers wait in line at a Sunwing Airlines check-in desk at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Wednesday, April 20, 2022.
Sunwing flight at Montreal-Trudeau Airport in April 2023. Sunwing Vacations Group has indefinitely suspended service to Cuba amid the island nation's fuel crisis.

Overview

  • Air Canada and Sunwing Vacations Group said on Friday that they are indefinitely suspending flights and packaged trips to Cuba and will contact affected customers with options for full refunds or rebooking.
  • The suspension covers all Cuba operations under Sunwing Vacations Group, including Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations and WestJet Vacations Québec, and follows similar pauses announced earlier by Air Canada Vacations and Air Transat.
  • Both carriers pointed to ongoing political and economic uncertainty as their reason for the decision, with reporting noting growing U.S. measures and worsening shortages of jet fuel, food and electricity on the island.
  • Thousands of bookings are affected and travellers are being offered refunds or alternative destinations, leaving many Canadians to change winter travel plans and travel agents to rework packages.
  • The pullback adds pressure to Cuba’s tourism-dependent communities as international operators exit or delay returns, and the situation will hinge on developments in fuel supplies, U.S. policy and on-the-ground stability.