The decision by multiple major Canadian airlines to suspend flights to Cuba has would-be travellers disappointed but not surprised. In recent days, Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, and Sunwing have announced plans to suspend service to Cuba due to the Caribbean country’s fuel shortage. Windsor’s Steve Martin and his girlfriend were among those planning to ditch Canada’s cold winter for a beach in Cuba. “So even as things started to get a little dicey, my intention was still if we could get to the island, I wanted to go to Cuba because they rely so much on our tourism dollars,” Martin told CTV News. Having previously visited Cuba, Martin noted they’ve become fond of what the country offers. “The beaches are beautiful, and the people are spectacular,” he added. After his flight scheduled for Friday was cancelled, Martin’s now working to get a refund. In recent weeks, a fuel shortage on the island has worsened due to increased pressure by U.S. President Donald Trump. Mexico has stopped oil shipments to Cuba after Trump threatened to levy tariffs on countries that supplied it with oil. Cuban officials have cautioned airlines that there is no longer enough fuel for airplanes to refuel on the island. “In the last week or so, as some of the shortages really were excessive, kind of figured out we wouldn’t be making the trip,” Martin said. Flight cancellations will impact YQG, where a weekly flight to Varadero is offered in the winter months. Cuba has become a hot destination over the years, particularly for Canadian travellers. In an open letter issued by the Cuba Tourist Board, Canadian travellers are thanked for their frequent travel to the island. “The Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto offers its most sincere apologies to the thousands of passengers whose long-awaited vacations have been disrupted,” the letter reads. In Martin’s case, he noted future travel to Cuba is not off the table, but he’ll wait to see how the current political tensions play out.
