A Cuban recorded a short video at the José Martí International Airport in Havana that went viral on Facebook, showing the terminal completely empty and without electricity, with the author exclaiming: "Empty. No one is leaving from here."
The clip, published by the user Izaguirre Ortiz, surpassed 291,000 views, garnered more than 2,100 likes, and received 271 comments in a short time.
In the comments on his own video, the author elaborated on what he experienced: "What was most striking was that the power also failed at the airport," he wrote, clearly indicating that he expected that facility to be insulated from the blackouts affecting the rest of the country.
But the power outage was not the only thing he documented. Izaguirre Ortiz recounted that four days before his departure, with two flights active at the terminal and rain outside, water was dripping from the ceiling: "It looked like a flood... of shame," he wrote.
During his entire stay in Cuba, the author claimed to have spent 10 days without water and with barely an hour of electricity a day: “The truth is, a total abuse of the entire population.”
The video is produced during the worst moment of the Cuban electrical crisis so far in 2026.
This Monday, the electric deficit exceeded 2,100 MW again, with blackouts lasting up to 30 continuous hours in some areas of the country.
The most critical point of the month was recorded on May 13, when the deficit reached a record 2,153 MW during peak hours.
Three days later, on May 16, 51% of the country was left without electricity simultaneously, according to data from the national electrical system itself.
The main causes are the fuel shortage and the deterioration of the thermal power plants, especially the CTE Antonio Guiteras, which has experienced repeated unscheduled outages.
That combination has led to even facilities deemed "protected circuits" being left in the dark.
This is not the first time that the Havana airport has been the scene of such incidents.
In September 2025, a blackout left dozens of passengers in darkness in the terminal, although the Airports and Auxiliary Services Company (ECASA) insisted days later that the airports were operating with generators and alternative means.
The crisis goes beyond electricity. In February 2026, the shortage of Jet A-1 fuel forced the suspension of operations at the nine international airports in the country, and Canadian airlines had to send empty planes to repatriate thousands of stranded tourists.
In March of that same year, international aviation alerts confirmed that José Martí did not have aviation fuel available.
The contrast is striking: in June 2025, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ranked Havana Airport among the most congested in Latin America. Today, a viral video shows it empty and dark.
"I was without water for 10 days and barely had an hour of electricity for the entire day," Izaguirre Ortiz summarized. "In truth, it's a complete abuse towards the entire community."
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