The difficult energy situation in Cuba is becoming critical. A Notam-type warning (aimed at personnel involved in flight operations) warned international airlines operating on the island that the country will run out of aviation fuel from this Monday. The reason is the blockade of shipments of oil and oil products imposed by the United States, a problem worsened by the American intervention in Venezuela at the beginning of the year.
According to the EFE news agency, the notification is valid for one month, from February 10th to March 11th. The affected airports are José Martí, in Havana; Juan Gualberto Gómez, in Varadero; Jaime González, in Cienfuegos; Abel Santamaría, in Santa Clara; Ignacio Agramonte, in Camagüey; the Jardines del Rey, in Cayo Coco; Frank País, in Holguín; Antonio Maceo, in Santiago de Cuba; and Sierra Maestra, in Manzanillo.
“JET A1 FUEL NOT AVBL”, says a coded message from Notam according to information from the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) database.]
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The independent website 14Ymedio found that on Saturday the kerosene supplied to planes was being controlled. The portal also said that this situation is nothing new and has been occurring since the 1990s and that airlines are trying to overcome the problem by reorganizing their routes from the island with extra refueling stops in Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
Most flights connecting the island abroad cover routes to Florida, the United States (from Miami, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale) and to several cities in Canada, the main source of tourists for the island. They also make frequent flights to Russia, Spain, Panama and Mexico. Cuba also maintains regular connections with Bogotá, Colombia); Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic; and Caracas, in Venezuela, among other Latin American capitals.
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This Monday, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov classified the fuel situation in Cuba as critical and said that Russia is in contact with its Cuban friends through diplomatic channels.
“The situation in Cuba is really critical. We are aware of this. We are in intensive contact with our Cuban friends through diplomatic and other means,” Peskov said, responding to a question about whether the Kremlin understands how Russian tourists will be evacuated when Cuban airports run out of aviation fuel.
Last week, the Russian embassy and consulate general in Havana said they were closely monitoring the situation for Russian tourists in Cuba in connection, following reports of airline flight delays. According to the Russian Travel Industry Union, citing Anna Podgornaya, CEO of tour operator Pegas Touristik, there are approximately 4,000 tourists from Russia in Cuba.
