Another airline shuts down operations in Cuba amid tightening sanctions and fuel shortage

(21 May 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Havana - 20 May 2026
1. Various of people checking in for last World2Fly flight from Havana to Madrid
2. Screens displaying "world2fly MADRID" signs
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Fermín Nodarse, retiree:
"I don’t know what I’m going to do. I really don’t know, because tickets with the other airlines are very expensive now. And I travel all the time. I’m probably going to have to cut back on traveling because honestly, the economy just doesn’t allow for this."
4. Various of Nodarse walking away
5. Various of people checking in for flight to Madrid
6. Close of flight board
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ivis Fernández, former tour guide moving to Madrid:
"Now all the alarm bells are going off for us with World2Fly canceling. There are very few options left, and the fear is that more cancellations will follow. There will probably be some alternative, but we’ll have to see the price and the layovers, because not all Cuban citizens can transit through just anywhere, so it’s complicated."
8. Various of World2Fly plane
9. Close of plane tail
10. Baggage carousel
11. Various of José Martí International Airport exterior
12. Various of plane moving on tarmac ++NIGHT SHOTS++
13. Plane taking off ++NIGHT SHOT++
STORYLINE:
Passengers at the Havana's international airport lined up on Wednesday to board a Spanish airline's last flight from Cuba.

World2Fly unexpectedly announced this week that it would suspend its only flight to the island.

It was another major blow to Cuban travelers and tourists – the latest in a series of cutbacks by airlines amid the U.S. oil embargo against the island.

Retiree Fermín Nodarse, 72, has family in Spain and tries to visit as frequently as possible but he is now worried about more expensive tickets with other airlines: "I’m probably going to have to cut back on traveling because honestly, the economy just doesn’t allow for this."

Neither the airline nor its local operator, Online Tours, explicitly stated the reason for cutting a route so popular among Cubans, but the reduction comes amid the strict energy blockade imposed by the United States, which has left the Caribbean nation without oil for its economy, including fuel for its aircraft.

Some airlines, such as Air Canada, Iberia, and Air France, withdrew from the Cuban market almost immediately after the announcement of the fuel shortage, but others, such as World2Fly, continued to refuel in the Dominican Republic.

In recent weeks, it was also announced that Cubana de Aviación, the island’s flag carrier, would be canceling its transatlantic route.

World2Fly was especially popular among Cubans because of its cheap tickets and generous checked bag allowance — a welcome option for people who bring countless items to the island in their luggage that are either unavailable due to shortages or are expensive, ranging from clothing to personal hygiene products.

These items are also often brought for resale.

Spain became a destination for tens of thousands of people amid a surge in emigration from the country over the past five years, driven by the economic crisis and by increasingly hostile anti-immigrant policies under President Donald Trump, which drove Cubans away from what had been their natural destination for decades.

Many Cubans also obtained Spanish passports thanks to a Spanish law that grants citizenship by descent.

Tourism in Cuba was one of the sectors hardest hit by U.S. sanctions and this year’s energy blockade.
AP Video by Ariel Fernández and Martín Silva Rey

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