Havana. — The energy crisis in Cuba has reached a critical level that is now directly affecting civil aviation. An official aeronautical notice (NOTAM) from José Martí International Airport in Havana confirms that the terminal is out of Jet A-1 fuel, which is standardly used by commercial aircraft.
The NOTAM, identified as A0356/26 and classified as international, explicitly states: “JET A-1 FUEL NOT AVBL” (no Jet A-1 fuel available). The notice has been active since February 10, 2026, at 05:00 UTC and will remain in effect at least until March 11, 2026, at 05:00 UTC, representing a full month without guaranteed supply at the country's main airport.
These types of official notices are issued to alert pilots, airlines, and air operators about critical operational conditions. In this case, the lack of fuel means that airplanes cannot refuel in Havana, an extremely serious situation for an international airport that handles the majority of Cuba's air traffic.
Flights at risk and limited operations
The absence of Jet A-1 forces airlines to bring in additional fuel from their departure airports, make technical stops in third countries to refuel, or, directly, cancel flights. These alternatives increase operational costs and reduce the feasibility of maintaining regular routes.
The impact extends to commercial flights, charters, cargo operations, and executive aviation, affecting key connections with the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Routes to cities such as Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Madrid, Panama City, Cancun, and Mexico City are under a scenario of high uncertainty.
So far, no airline has officially announced a total suspension of its operations, but the NOTAM confirms that the issue is no longer a verbal warning from the Cuban government, but an operational limitation recognized in international aviation systems.
Logistical collapse and structural crisis
The lack of aviation fuel is a direct consequence of the deterioration of Cuba's energy system, exacerbated by the disruption of external supplies and the regime's inability to ensure stable imports. For years, Cuba relied on oil from Venezuela for much of its energy consumption, a supply that has been interrupted following Nicolás Maduro's decline.
This is compounded by the tightening of pressure from the United States. At the end of January, President Donald Trump signed a presidential order that includes sanctions and tariffs against countries that supply oil to the Cuban regime, considering that Havana poses a threat to U.S. national security.
Another symptom of the collapse of the model
An international airport without fuel for weeks is an exceptional and very uncommon situation in countries with functioning economies. In the case of Cuba, this adds to a context marked by daily blackouts, rampant inflation, shortages of food and medicine, a standstill in tourism, and mass emigration.
The inability to guarantee fuel for civil aviation not only jeopardizes the country's connectivity with the outside world, but also highlights the logistical collapse of a model incapable of sustaining basic strategic services. While the regime insists on blaming external factors, the facts demonstrate a deep crisis that is already isolating Cuba, even by air.
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