# Air France suspends Havana flights as Cuba fuel shortage deepens
Air France will suspend flights to Havana from the end of March until at least mid-June because of a fuel shortage in Cuba that is hurting both travel demand and airline operations.
The packet’s AFP report says service between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Havana will be temporarily suspended starting Sunday, March 29, with a planned return on June 15. The airline said the decision was linked to the fuel shortage on the island and its effect on economic and tourist activity. Air France also said affected customers would be offered rebooking, a voucher or a full refund.
That is a clear sign that Cuba’s fuel crisis is no longer only a domestic supply issue. It is now shaping international airline schedules and the tourism sector that depends on them. When a major carrier pauses a long-haul route for more than two months, it reflects both operational difficulty and a belief that demand conditions will not support normal service in the near term.
The evidence also shows that the airline environment around Cuba has been deteriorating more broadly. Several airlines have already stopped flights to the island, while others have continued service by shifting routes so they can refuel elsewhere. That means Cuba’s air links are becoming more expensive and more fragile at the same time.
The packet cites Cuban aviation authorities as saying the jet-fuel shortage would be extended until April 10 as the U.S. blockade persists. It also says the U.S. in January imposed a de facto energy embargo on Cuba after military forces seized Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, a key supplier of oil to the island, and that President Donald Trump later tightened the energy blockade by threatening tariffs on Mexico if it exported energy to Cuba.
The broader picture is of an economy under severe strain. Cuba has been under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962 and has long faced a deep economic crisis. The latest fuel measures are hitting tourism, which the report describes as the island’s second-largest source of foreign currency after medical services exports. That makes the suspension of a major European route economically meaningful well beyond the airline itself.
The verified story is straightforward: Air France is suspending Havana flights because Cuba lacks fuel, and the impact is showing up in tourism and connectivity. The decision will matter most for travelers, but it also signals how quickly the island’s fuel shortage is reshaping commercial aviation.
