Russia Halts Cuba Flights, Evacuates 4,000 Tourists Amid Crisis

Cuba’s fuel crisis continues to devastate its tourism sector. On Wednesday, Russia’s civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia announced a temporary suspension of all flights to the Caribbean island—another blow to an economy that has already lost its largest tourist market: Canada.

Orderly Evacuation of 4,000 Tourists

According to Rosaviatsia’s Telegram announcement, airlines Rossiya (part of the Aeroflot group) and Nordwind were forced to modify their flight schedules due to fuel supply difficulties at Cuban airports.

“In the coming days, Rossiya will operate only return flights from Havana and Varadero to Moscow to ensure the return of Russian tourists,” the agency explained. Evacuation flights begin on February 12.

After completing the repatriation, the flight program will cease entirely “until the situation changes,” Rosaviatsia stated.

Russia: Second-Largest Source of Tourists

The announcement comes just days after Canada suspended all flights to Cuba, leaving the island without access to its two main tourist markets:

Country	2025 Tourists	Current Status
Canada	754,000	Flights suspended
Russia	131,000	Flights suspended

Together, these two countries represented more than 40% of international tourism to Cuba.

Tour Operators Halt Sales

Russian tour operator Pegas Touristik, one of the largest in the sector, announced an immediate halt to sales of new Cuba travel packages.

“The situation is stable and under control. All tourists currently in Cuba will return to Russia in an organized manner and on schedule,” the company assured in a statement.

Kremlin Calls Situation “Critical”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov did not mince words about the gravity of the moment: “The situation in Cuba is really critical.”

Peskov accused the United States of implementing “suffocating measures” that “create great difficulties for the country” and confirmed that Moscow maintains “intense contacts” with Havana to seek solutions or at least “alleviate” the problems.

An Unstoppable Domino Effect

The suspension of Russian flights joins a cascade of cancellations that has left Cuba virtually isolated from international tourism:

• Air Canada, WestJet, Transat, and Sunwing have suspended operations
• Spanish airlines are operating with technical stops to refuel
• Meliá is reducing its hotel availability due to low occupancy
• Cuban bishops canceled their Vatican visit because they cannot travel

The Cuban government warned international airlines last Sunday that the country would run out of aviation fuel starting Monday—an unprecedented situation caused by what Havana calls Washington’s “oil siege.”

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With information from EFE, CNN en Español, El País, and Infobae.