Iberia has stopped operating its direct route between Madrid and Havana, a historic link between Spain and Cuba that will remain suspended at least until November.
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The airline attributes the decision to fuel supply problems on the island and to the deterioration in operating conditions, a situation that has been affecting international air transport for months.
The company had already announced in April that it would temporarily suspend its flights to Cuba between June and October, after being forced to make technical stopovers in the Dominican Republic to refuel before heading back to Spain. The measure pushed up operating costs and made the route harder to sustain.
Before the complete suspension, Iberia had progressively reduced its weekly flights to Havana, a decision driven both by logistical difficulties and by a drop in passenger demand for the island, according to several local media outlets.
The airline nevertheless still plans to restore the direct connection from November if conditions improve. In fact, it is continuing to sell tickets for those dates, although the resumption of the route will depend on how the situation in Cuba develops.
The Spanish carrier’s decision is not an isolated case. Iberia thus joins other major international airlines that have suspended their operations with Cuba in recent months due to the fuel shortage. Air France, Turkish Airlines and Air Canada have also temporarily cancelled their flights to the island in view of the difficulties in ensuring the fuel supplies needed for their operations.
Cuba’s energy crisis has become one of the main challenges for the country’s aviation sector and is leading to a gradual reduction in international connections. The lack of fuel, together with the fall in tourism and the economic difficulties the island is going through, has forced several carriers to rethink their presence in the Cuban market.