Cuba has warned international airlines that it will halt all aviation fuel supplies from February 9 night for at least one month, threatening to cripple the island's vital tourism sector as Washington's economic pressure pushes the Caribbean nation towards collapse.

Cuban civil aviation authorities notified carriers on February 8 that jet fuel would be unavailable at all international airports from February 10 to March 11, according to a European airline executive who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity. The NOTAM message, transmitted under the code "JET A1 FUEL NOT AVBL", affects nine international airports across the island.

The suspension will force long-haul carriers to arrange technical stops in neighbouring countries to refuel on return journeys. Air France confirmed it would maintain its Havana route with a planned technical stopover at another Caribbean destination. In previous fuel crises, airlines have made stopovers in Mexico or the Dominican Republic, though regional flights are expected to continue operating normally.

Rossiya Airlines, a charter subsidiary of Russian state airline Aeroflot , said in a statement it plans to continue its flight programme to and from airports in Havana and Varadero, albeit with possible refuelling stops.

In contrast, Air Canada said that "effective today it is suspending its service to Cuba due to an ongoing shortage of aviation fuel on the island." Over the following days, the airline plans to operate empty flights southbound to pick up approximately 3,000 tourists already at destination and return them home, the carrier said in a statement.

The announcement came a day after the government decided to close hotels and relocate international tourists, dealing a severe blow to an economy that depends heavily on tourism for foreign exchange and employment. According to El Pais, the island received approximately 2.2mn international visitors in 2024, the lowest figure in nearly two decades and below official expectations. Arrivals between January and September 2025 fell 20.5% to just 1.37mn tourists, representing 350,000 fewer visitors than the previous year.

The affected airports include Jose Marti in Havana, Juan Gualberto Gomez in Varadero, Jaime Gonzalez in Cienfuegos, Abel Santamaria in Santa Clara, Ignacio Agramonte in Camagüey, Jardines del Rey at Cayo Coco, Frank Pais in Holguin, Antonio Maceo in Santiago, and Sierra Maestra in Manzanillo. Most flights connect Cuba with Florida, Madrid, Moscow, Panama City, Mexico City, Toronto, Cancun, Bogota, Santo Domingo and Caracas.

American, Spanish, Panamanian and Mexican carriers have not yet announced how they will address the fuel suspension, which could severely disrupt routes and schedules for thousands of passengers.

The aviation fuel crisis follows Havana's announcement of sweeping emergency measures including a four-day working week for state employees, teleworking in government offices, restrictions on fuel sales, and reduced bus and train services between provinces. School days will be shorter and universities will operate in hybrid format, whilst cultural events including the Havana International Book Fair have been cancelled.

Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga announced on state television that the measures would prioritise fuel savings to favour "food and electricity production" and safeguard "essential activities that generate foreign exchange". The government has also ordered the closure of certain tourist establishments despite the high season.

Cuba faces an acute energy crisis following the collapse of oil deliveries from Venezuela after Washington's military intervention in Caracas on January 3 resulted in President Nicolás Maduro's arrest and the installation of an interim administration. Shipping data provider Kpler estimates Havana has merely a week of petroleum reserves remaining.

The island, subjected to crippling US sanctions for over 60 years, has taken delivery of just one oil shipment so far in 2026. This represents a precipitous decline from insufficient supplies received during 2025, as Washington intensifies its embargo on Venezuelan crude exports whilst pressing Mexico to cease deliveries.

President Donald Trump, who last month declared the regime "will be failing pretty soon," signed an executive order on January 29 threatening secondary tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, citing national security concerns. The Trump White House has deployed warships to Caribbean waters whilst the president asserted that Mexico would cease oil deliveries to the island, which it has provided since 2023.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the first US-born Cuban to hold the post, told Congress on January 28: "We would love to see the regime [in Cuba] change. That doesn't mean we are going to make it change, but we would love to see it change."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was engaged in diplomatic efforts to resume shipments without triggering US sanctions. "Obviously, we don't want sanctions against Mexico, but we are in the process of dialogue, and for now, humanitarian aid will be sent," she stated. Mexico dispatched two vessels carrying 814 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Cuba on February 8, but that crucially does not include oil.

Russia, a long-time supporter of the Havana regime, accused Washington of "suffocating" the communist island. "The situation in Cuba is truly critical," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. "These stifling measures by the United States are truly creating great difficulties for the country."

Moscow said it was exploring ways to assist Havana and would do everything possible to help during this critical period, including facilitating the return of approximately 4,000 Russian tourists currently on the island. Flights scheduled for February 9 were operating normally, according to the Russian Union of the Tourism Industry.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced what he called a "cruel aggression" aimed at breaking the political will of the Cuban people. "The situation is difficult and will require great sacrifice. Our willingness to engage in dialogue is clear and well-known. It has been reiterated directly and publicly," he said.

After months of defiance, President Miguel Díaz-Canel has more recently indicated willingness to open dialogue with Washington, a move that lays bare the desperation of Cuban leadership facing what he described as "economic strangulation by the world's leading power". He announced the implementation of a "multisectoral contingency plan" inspired by measures applied during Cuba's so-called Special Period in the 1990s following the Soviet Union's collapse.

"The energy persecution, the financial persecution, the intensification of coercive measures is such that we know we have to do a very strong, very creative, very intelligent job to overcome all these obstacles," Díaz-Canel said last week.

Across the island, Cubans face mounting uncertainty, queuing for hours at petrol stations and stocking up on tinned food at local shops. The fuel shortage has already caused prolonged daily blackouts, with the state electricity operator reporting that 101 distributed generation plants sit idle due to lack of supplies, eliminating 927 megawatts of capacity.

Cuba produces only one-third of its energy needs and depends on imports to maintain basic services. The government has launched military drills to prepare for potential instability, with Cuba's National Defence Council approving plans to shift the country into a "state of war" posture on January 20.

The aviation fuel suspension now threatens to isolate the island further, cutting off one of its few remaining sources of foreign currency at a moment when the economy teeters on the brink of collapse.