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Havana — Cuban aviation officials person warned airlines that determination isn't capable substance for airplanes to refuel connected the island, the latest measurement successful its moves to ration vigor arsenic the Trump medication cuts the Caribbean federation disconnected from its substance resources.
The authorities of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots connected Sunday night, informing that pitchy substance wouldn't beryllium disposable astatine 9 airports crossed the island, including José Martí International Airport successful Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11.
Political unit from President Trump connected Latin America has efficaciously severed Cuba's entree to its superior petroleum sources successful Venezuela and Mexico. In precocious January, Mr. Trump signed an enforcement order that would enforce a tariff connected immoderate goods from countries that merchantability oregon supply lipid to Cuba, a determination that could further cripple an land plagued by a deepening vigor crisis.
The order would chiefly heap unit connected Mexico, wherever the authorities has acted arsenic an lipid lifeline for Cuba and voiced solidarity with the U.S. adversary, adjacent arsenic President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to physique a beardown relationship with Mr. Trump.
There was speculation successful January that Mexico would slash lipid shipments to Cuba nether mounting unit by Mr. Trump to region itself from Havana, but connected Monday, Sheinbaum said her state would connection much assistance to Cuba, and called Mr. Trump's policies unfair.
Humanitarian supplies are loaded onto Mexican Navy ships to beryllium transported from Asipona, successful Veracruz, Mexico, to Cuba, Feb. 9, 2026, astatine the larboard successful Veracruz.
MEXICAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS/Anadolu via Getty
"There volition beryllium much enactment for Cuba," she said Monday arsenic much than 800 tons of humanitarian assistance was loaded onto Mexican Navy ships to beryllium transported to Cuba. She said Mexico was taking the indispensable diplomatic steps to resume lipid shipments to Cuba.
"No 1 tin disregard the concern the Cuban radical are presently experiencing owed to the sanctions being imposed by the United States connected immoderate state that sends oil, successful a precise unfair manner," Sheinbaum told reporters.
A spokesperson for the overseas ministry successful China, which besides maintains adjacent ties with Cuba, told reporters Tuesday that Beijing, "firmly supports Cuba successful safeguarding its nationalist sovereignty and security, and opposes overseas interference," adding that China would " ever supply enactment and assistance to the Cuban broadside to the champion of our ability."
Airlines forced to set to a fuel-less Cuba
While the rationing whitethorn not disrupt shorter determination flights, it presents a important situation for long-haul routes from countries similar Russia and Canada — a captious pillar of Cuba's tourism economy.
On Monday, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to the island, portion different airlines announced delays and layovers successful the Dominican Republic earlier flights continued to Havana.
One aviator added that portion refueling issues person occurred before, an authoritative announcement of this standard is bonzer adjacent for an land accustomed to perpetual crisis. The past clip specified cuts occurred — much than a decennary agone — craft bound for Europe refueled successful Nassau, Bahamas, the aviator recalled. Now, determination airlines could debar problems by bringing other fuel, portion others could refuel successful Cancun, Mexico, oregon successful the Dominican Republic.
Contacted connected Monday by CBS News, Delta Air Lines said it was not alert of immoderate issues being caused by the substance shortages. Southwest Airlines said successful a connection that its craft flying to Cuba would transportation capable substance to marque the adjacent limb of their journeys.
"Due to the existent presumption of aviation substance successful Cuba, Southwest Airlines is requiring craft that alert to Havana to transportation capable substance to besides alert onto their adjacent destination. The hose presently operates 1 formation regular to Havana," a spokesperson for the hose told CBS News connected Monday.
American Airlines planes beryllium connected the tarmac astatine Jose Marti International Airport successful Havana, Cuba, Feb. 9, 2026.
YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty
"We are intimately monitoring the situation," American Airlines was quoted arsenic saying by the Miami Herald connected Monday.
It remains unclear however agelong the announcement volition stay successful effect and Cuban officials person made nary nationalist comments connected the matter.
The substance shortage deals different stroke to a state that relies heavy connected tourism, an manufacture that erstwhile generated $3 cardinal successful yearly gross and served arsenic a captious economical lifeline.
Energy situation impacting Cuba beyond pitchy fuel
Cuban officials besides announced Monday that slope hours person been reduced and taste events suspended. In Havana, the nationalist autobus strategy has efficaciously crushed to a halt, leaving residents stranded arsenic endemic powerfulness outages and grueling substance lines scope a breaking point.
The vigor exigency has forced the suspension of large events similar the Havana International Book Fair this play and a restructuring of the nationalist shot play for greater efficiency. Some banks person chopped operating hours and substance organisation companies said they would nary longer merchantability state successful Cuban pesos — and that income volition beryllium made successful dollars and constricted to astir 5 gallons per user.
The latest measures adhd to others announced Friday, including cuts to autobus proscription and constricted bid departures.
On Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a two-hour televised address, acknowledging the interaction and informing that measures would beryllium taken successful the coming days.
U.S. sanctions against Cuba person been successful spot for much than six decades and person agelong stunted Cuba's economy. But they reached caller extremes aft a U.S. subject cognition deposed erstwhile Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Mr. Trump began to instrumentality an adjacent much confrontational code toward Latin America.
For galore Cubans, the situation has translated into powerfulness outages lasting up to 10 hours, substance shortages for vehicles, and a deficiency of nutrient oregon medicine that galore comparison to the terrible economical slump successful the 1990s known arsenic the Special Period that followed cuts successful assistance from what was past the Soviet Union.
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