Is it safe to travel to Cuba? Foreign Office issues new warning after air travel crisis

Cuba, once the Caribbean destination of choice for millions of holidaymakers from the UK and elsewhere, is now on the Foreign Office “no-go” list.

Late on Wednesday 11 February, the FCDO updated its travel advice for the island to advise “against all but essential travel to Cuba”.

The effect of the warning is to render standard travel insurance invalid for Cuba – except for people who are there, while they make arrangements to leave.

The advice comes as Cuba appears to be nearing paralysis as a result of tougher US sanctions.

Dozens of flights to and from Havana and other Cuban airports have been cancelled after the island’s aviation authorities warned that no fuel is available for the next month.

Cuba is still popular with independent travellers from Europe, but the island is evidently in a precarious situation. These are the key questions and answers.

British travellers who are on the Caribbean’s largest island are warned: “Carefully consider if your presence is essential.”

The latest advice says: “Cuba is experiencing severe and worsening disruption to essential infrastructure, persistent nationwide power outages and fuel shortages. These conditions significantly affect the ability of visitors to access reliable transport, medical care, communications and basic services.

“Authorities have introduced fuel rationing, scaled back public services, and made temporary changes to healthcare, education, transport and tourism operations in order to conserve severely limited energy supplies.

“Flight schedules are also being disrupted due to aviation fuel shortages, with some airlines reviewing routes or temporarily cancelling services which risk visitors being unable to leave the country.

“If you are currently in Cuba, carefully consider if your presence is essential. Take precautions by conserving fuel, water, food and mobile phone charge, and be prepared for significant disruption. Check for messaging from your airline or tour operator.”

Following the US seizure in January of the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, a key source of Cuba’s oil was interrupted.

Mexican suppliers began to make up the shortfall. But in an executive order that took effect on 30 January, Donald Trump claimed: “The policies, practices, and actions of the government of Cuba directly threaten the safety, national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

The US president said that punitive tariffs would be imposed on any “country that directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba”. As a result, supplies have dried up.

Considering its size and location, Cuba has relatively few flights – and they have just become even more scarce.

The island’s aviation authorities have warned in a Notice to Air Missions (Notam) that “Jet A1 Fuel Not Avbl [available]” until 5am GMT on Wednesday 11 March. The warning applies to the Cuban airports of Havana, Varadero, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Santa Clara, Cayo Coco and others.

As a result, Air Canada has cancelled its entire weekly programme of 32 flights between Canadian and Cuban airports as “aviation fuel will not be commercially available at the island’s airports”. WestJet of Canada has also started cancelling some flights.

Thousands of passengers waiting to fly home from Cuba to Canada are set to be brought out on special “ferry flights”.

Air Canada says: “For remaining flights, Air Canada will tanker in extra fuel and make technical stops as necessary to refuel on the return journey if necessary.”

The term “tanker” means flights to Cuba will be loaded with more fuel than is required for the outward journey. If there is not enough remaining for the return leg, Air Canada will divert to locations such as the Bahamas to top up tanks.

At present, many of the links with Havana and other Cuban airports are from nearby airports (including Miami), from which it is no problem to tanker in fuel.

The main European flights are on Iberia and Air Europa from Madrid to Havana, from Paris to Havana on Air France, from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines and from Moscow on Rossiya. It is likely these aircraft will make a technical stop to refuel for the return leg.

For example, the Wednesday night Air France flight from Havana to Paris departed 90 minutes early. The Boeing 787 made the short hop to Nassau in the Bahamas, where it refuelled. Due to the early start, the plane arrived on schedule at CDG airport in Paris.

As commercial flights are departing from Havana and elsewhere, there seems no likelihood that any kind of airlift will be arranged. If you need to leave early to comply with the Foreign Office warning, first contact your airline – if you can – and ask for a seat on an earlier flight. If this is not possible, you can buy a new ticket in the hope that you will be able to claim the cost back from travel insurance.

Do not attempt to leave on one of the frequent flights to the US, unless you happen to have an American visa. You cannot obtain the Esta online permit if you have visited Cuba since January 2021 – and since you will be clearly intending to arrive from the island, you do not qualify.

If you have bought a flight-only ticket and the plane is still going, you have no right to cancel. If you have a holiday booked imminently, your travel firm should give you a refund. However, since no one knows how long the Foreign Office advice will be in place, do not expect future trips to be cancelled any more than a few weeks in advance.

This story is regularly updated with the latest information

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