‘We just want to go home’: Canadians in Cuba wait for answers as airlines adjust flights

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Canadian airlines have announced their contingency plans to and from Cuba as the island grapples with a temporary disruption to aviation fuel supplies.

Cuban officials said jet fuel will be unavailable at airports across the country starting Tuesday, disrupting airport operations and affecting both domestic and international carriers.

The fuel shortage comes amid ongoing supply challenges on the island and has prompted airlines to assess how best to continue services, reroute aircraft, and assist travellers already in Cuba.

At a glance:

• Airlines are implementing contingency plans as Cuba faces jet fuel disruption
• There’s no clear timeline for how long the shortage will last
• U.S. pressure and halted oil shipments are adding to Cuba’s fuel crisis

Do you have a trip planned to Cuba? Are you a Canadian currently in Cuba and impacted by the flight suspension? Do you own property in Cuba and are affected by the ongoing fuel supply challenges? We want to hear from you. Have you been contacted by Global Affairs Canada or your airline? Let us know where you are, what information you’ve received, and what support, if any, you’ve been offered.

Share your story by emailing us at [e-mail] with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your responses may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.

Here’s what happened on Feb. 9, 2026:

Canadian in Cuba unsure when he’ll return home

A Canadian family currently in Varadero, Cuba, said his family is feeling increasingly anxious as airline operations to and from Cuba remain uncertain.

Meisam Salahi told CTVNews.ca he and his family are scheduled to fly back to Toronto on Tuesday after travelling to Cuba on Feb. 3 for a week-long vacation. He said they are travelling with two young children, ages three and five, adding that the trip was meant to celebrate his child’s birthday.

Salahi said there was no Air Canada representative at their resort on Monday, leaving them without clear information about next steps.

“I have to reach out to her tomorrow morning to see what is going to happen,” he said.

He also noted that some flights appear to still be operating.

“I just met some people who flew in from Toronto today to our resort,” he said, adding he was surprised some carriers have not suspended service.

“We just want to go back home safely,” Salahi said. “I am very stressed out.”

Lynn Chaya, CTV News journalist

Air Transat suspends all flights to Cuba through end of April

Air Transat announced late Monday night that all flights to Cuba will be suspended until April 30, after what the airline called “rapid developments of the past few hours.”

All bookings to Cuba between Feb. 11 and April 30 will be automatically cancelled, with refunds going to the original form of payment.

In a statement, the airline said it’s “in the process of organizing repatriation flights to bring its customers back to Canada, which will be scheduled over the coming days,” adding that all aircraft will have enough fuel to operate.

“Air Transat will reach out to all customers currently in destination to share details about their return flights,” the statement read. The airline also said that travellers currently in Cuba who booked all-inclusive packages can speak with on-site representatives.

Air Transat said flights to Cuba may resume as early as May 1, and that the airline will monitor developments in the country.

Earlier in the day, the airline said it wouldn’t halt flights to Cuba, despite a temporary suspension of kerosene fuel supply at airports across the country.

Hunter Crowther, CTV News digital producer and Lynn Chaya, CTV News journalist

WestJet, Sunwing suspend Cuba ticket sales

WestJet says it has suspended sales for flights to Cuba and will use its aircraft to bring guests currently vacationing in the Caribbean nation back to Canada.

In a statement released Monday, the Canadian airline says the WestJet Group will begin “an orderly wind-down” of winter flights to Cuba.“

This applies to WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations, and Vacances WestJet Québec,” they said.

Hunter Crowther, CTV News digital producer

More than 7,200 Canadians registered in Cuba: Global Affairs

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, says as of Monday, a total of 7,204 Canadians are registered as being in Cuba.

“Global Affairs Canada (GAC) takes the safety of Canadians very seriously and is closely monitoring the situation in Cuba,” GAC spokesperson Thida Ith said. “The situation in Cuba is unpredictable and could deteriorate, disrupting flight availability on short notice. Canadians should be prepared to change their travel plans.”

GAC adds that registration is voluntary and “does not represent the total number” of Canadians in Cuba.

Hunter Crowther, CTV News digital producer

Unclear how long the notice will remain in effect

Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines that there isn’t enough fuel for airplanes to refuel in the island, a commercial pilot confirmed on Monday.

The last time such cuts occurred — more than a decade ago — aircraft bound for Europe refuelled in Nassau, Bahamas, the pilot recalled. Now, regional airlines could avoid problems by bringing extra fuel, while others could refuel in Cancun, Mexico, or in the Dominican Republic.

It remains unclear how long the notice will remain in effect and Cuban officials have made no public comments on the matter.

The fuel shortage deals another blow to a country that relies heavily on tourism, an industry that once generated US$3 billion in annual revenue and served as a vital economic lifeline.

Cuban officials also announced Monday that bank hours have been reduced and cultural events suspended. In Havana, the public bus system has effectively ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic power outages and grueling fuel lines reach a breaking point.

The Associated Press

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Trump threatens tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba

Cuba is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, while U.S. President Donald Trump threatened late last month to impose tariffs on countries sending oil to the island.

Cuba’s oil, meanwhile, comes largely from three countries: Russia, an adversary of the United States; Mexico, where the government hopes to avoid tensions with the U.S.; and Venezuela, where U.S. troops captured and deposed the president early last month.

According to the White House, the threat of slapping tariffs on imports from countries providing oil to Cuba is aimed at “countering Cuba’s malign influence,” and “putting America first.”

Spencer Van Dyk, CTV News journalist

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Mexican oil shipments to Cuba halted, president says

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said the country’s oil shipments to Cuba are currently halted as her government seeks to support Cuba without triggering reprisals from Washington.

Mexico was Cuba’s largest supplier after Venezuelan shipments ceased in December following a U.S. blockade. Washington has threatened tariffs on countries that send oil to the Caribbean island.

Reuters