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Cubana de Aviación confirmed this Monday the immediate cancellation of its flights between Madrid and Cuba, effective from today, Tuesday, May 12, in an official statement addressed to tour operators, sales agencies, and customers in general.
The Cuban state airline announced that "the contractor responsible for the operation of its flights has communicated the immediate cancellation of flights CU471/CU470 on the route Madrid – Santiago de Cuba – Havana – Santiago de Cuba – Madrid, starting from May 12, 2026."
The operator in question is Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas, a Spanish company that operated that route under a lease agreement for aircraft and crews, using Airbus A330-200 planes.
According to the statement from Cubana, the measure "responds to risks arising from the Executive Order of May 1, 2026, issued by the Presidency of the United States, constituting a force majeure event beyond the control of the company."
The order, signed by President Donald Trump, expanded sanctions against the Cuban regime with secondary measures of extraterritorial reach that threaten to exclude banks and institutions facilitating transactions with sanctioned Cuban entities from the U.S. financial system.
The immediate trigger was the formal designation of GAESA —the military conglomerate that controls about 40% of the Cuban economy— on the Specially Designated Nationals list of the Department of the Treasury, on May 7, with a deadline until June 5 for foreign companies to cease their operations with this group.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the sanctions against GAESA as a "direct blow" to the Cuban military conglomerate for "stealing from the Cuban people".
Plus Ultra also carries a history that made it particularly vulnerable to this tightening: the company is under judicial investigation in Spain for alleged money laundering, with its top executives detained in December 2025, and its connections to Venezuelan chavismo, the government of Equatorial Guinea, and the Cuban regime placed it in a high-risk position regarding any U.S. sanctions.
The cancellation is not an isolated incident. In February 2026, Cubana had already reduced its flights from Madrid to Cuba due to the severe fuel crisis on the island, and return flights had to make a technical stop in Santo Domingo to refuel.
In April, Iberia announced the suspension of its direct flights from Madrid to Havana starting in June, with a potential resumption in November "provided the conditions allow it."
In total, eleven airlines have suspended flights to Cuba so far in 2026, with over 1,700 flights canceled, leaving only eight companies operating routes to the island.
Cubana announced that "the amount of the tickets will be refunded in accordance with current regulations," and expressed gratitude for "the understanding shown regarding this exceptional situation."
During the disruption, affected passengers will be able to fly to Cuba via Panama through Iberia's code-sharing agreement with Copa Airlines, although with longer travel times and additional costs.
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