While experts argue that "there's no way to get to Cuba" and tourists are losing confidence in the island as a destination, Havana's airport ranks among the most congested in Latin America, according to recent data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), published by the specialized site Reportur.
During the Wings of Change Americas (WOCA) conference held in Bogotá, the Deputy Director of Members and External Relations of IATA for the Americas, Alejandro Muñoz, confirmed that José Martí International Airport is at level 3 of congestion, a classification that places it on par with terminals such as those in Bogotá, Guarulhos (Brazil), Mexico City, and Lima.
How can an airport be overwhelmed without tourists?
Muñoz explained that, despite the decline in tourism, the Cuban airport experiences congestion during key time slots, when most flights coincide with the check-in and check-out times of hotels.
"All airplanes want to arrive and depart at the same time", he said. This structural saturation necessitates the implementation of a slot system to organize takeoffs and landings, a measure already employed by other countries with inadequate infrastructure.
But the contrast is evident: while airlines struggle for airspace to operate on the island, tourist demand continues to plummet.
Just a few weeks ago, the CEO of PriceTravel, Rafael Durand, stated to industry media that “there is no way to get to Cuba”, highlighting the lack of air connectivity, power outages, insecurity, the scarcity of hotel accommodations, and high prices in foreign currencies as the main obstacles that turn travelers away.
“Cuba has a very challenging plan for the coming years to regain travelers' trust”, stated Durand. “Let's forget about tourism; residents face much more immediate challenges: electricity, consumables, water, and food”, he added.
In contrast, destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Aruba, or Curaçao have gained ground with better figures and greater connectivity.
What does the Cuban government say?
Despite the experts' diagnosis, Cuban authorities claim they are working to improve the situation. Last April, the president of the Cuban Aviation Corporation S.A. (CACSA), Joel Beltrán Archer Santos, announced the expansion and modernization of the Havana airport with the ambition to turn it into the most competitive air hub in the Caribbean.
“The goal is to attract more national and foreign investment”, said Archer Santos. However, the immediate situation presents a puzzling outlook: few options for flying to the island, coupled with operational collapse at its main airport terminal.
A paradox that reflects the stagnation of Cuban infrastructure in the face of an increasingly unfavorable tourism reality.
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