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More than 10,000 Canadian tourists will be repatriated from Cuba by their airlines, following the massive flight cancellations caused by a shortage of aviation fuel and operational issues on the island.
Air Canada reported that it currently has around 3,000 customers in Cuba and announced the temporary cancellation of its operations until May 1, while organizing special return flights.
For its part, Air Transat has suspended all its flights to the island until April 30, 2026, and confirmed that it has more than 6,500 passengers in Cuban territory. The company stated that it is working on a repatriation plan and that affected reservations will be refunded.
WestJet has also activated a return operation for its travelers. It did not specify how many customers it has in Cuba, but the airline operates up to 15 daily flights during peak season to various tourist destinations in the country.
Based on that volume of operations, it is estimated that several thousand additional passengers may be awaiting return before February 16, which is the deadline indicated by the airline.
In total, the confirmed and estimated figures place the number of affected Canadian tourists at over 10,000 people, although some sources like Forbes indicate that the total could be around 25,000 travelers from Canada in Cuba.
The unexpected departure of these visitors is yet another blow to the Cuban tourism sector, which relies on the Canadian market for approximately 50% of its business.
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