Spain’s Iberia to suspend flights to Cuba amid US fuel blockade

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Spain’s largest airline, Iberia, will suspend its direct flights to Cuba starting in June and lasting until at least November. According to a spokesperson for the airline, the difficult situation the country has faced recently has significantly reduced traveler demand. This decline in interest follows a period of widespread power outages and food shortages in Cuba, which began after the United States imposed an energy blockade on the nation in January.

The suspension is also tied to a critical shortage of jet fuel at international airports, a problem that has led other North American and European carriers to cancel or reduce their own flight schedules. To manage these fuel constraints, Iberia had recently been making technical stops in Santo Domingo to refuel its return flights to Madrid. The airline plans to operate three weekly flights in April and two in May before halting the service entirely in June.

During this period of suspension, travelers will still have the option to reach Cuba via Panama through a codeshare agreement between Iberia and Copa Airlines. This shift in operations comes at a time when Spain remains one of the top sources of visitors to Cuba, following Canada, Russia, the United States, and Germany. Despite this high ranking, the current energy crisis has made maintaining direct operations unsustainable for the airline for the upcoming season.

Photo Credits: AFP