Medellín, Colombia — Cuba announced late Sunday night that it will run out of jet fuel within 24 hours following the United States’ blockade of oil exports from Venezuela.
The shortage is expected to impact international flights as planes landing in Cuba will not be able to refuel. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the shortage could last until March 11.
Air Canada announced Monday that the carrier would cancel flights to the island for the time being, and more flight cancellations are expected.
The country hasn’t received an oil shipment since December, according to the Cuban government, and on January 29, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs for countries providing fuel to Cuba.
“I find that the policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” read the order.
In response, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez took to X to declare an “international emergency”, using Trump’s own words to state that the new tariffs constitute “an unusual and extraordinary threat[…] to the national security and foreign policy of all countries”.
According to DW, Cuba produces only a third of the energy it uses, relying on countries like Venezuela, Mexico and Russia to fill the gap.
The jet fuel crisis is part of a broader dearth of energy resources Cuba faces after the U.S.’s January 3 attacks on Caracas, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Financial Times reported on January 29 that according to the data company Kpler, Cuba had just 15 to 20 days of oil left after Mexico canceled a shipment.
The shortages have resulted in rolling blackouts across the nation, as well as rising food and transportation prices, according to Al Jazeera. On February 4, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of the potential humanitarian “collapse” in Cuba that could occur if shortages were not resolved.
Shortages could also impact the already struggling tourist industry, which, according to DW, has been in crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic. The FT reported that last year Cuba “experienced an 18 per cent drop in visitors” from 2024.
Dmitri Peskov, the press secretary for Vladimir Putin of Russia, said on Monday that the country would look for ways to help resolve the situation in Cuba.
“We are talking with our Cuban friends about possible ways to resolve these problems or, at least, to provide whatever help is within our reach,” Peskov said, according to La Jornada.
Many flights to Havana remain scheduled for now despite the fuel issues, and according to Reuters, Cuban airlines are used to these shortfalls. Last year, a similar crisis pushed aircrafts to refuel in “nearby third countries including Panama, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.”
Featured image: José Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
