Canadian Tour Operators Pull Nearly Half-Million Winter Seats From Cuba

Canadian airlines and tour operators pulled vast winter capacity from Cuba after a 2026 fuel crunch and operational concerns, a move OpenJaw describes as removing "almost half a million seats" for the rest of the winter season. Operators scrambled to rebook thousands of travellers into the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica while issuing refunds and vouchers and adding temporary routes.

BoardingPassTravel quantified the immediate shock: the simultaneous Canadian withdrawal eliminated 49,122 weekly seats, with WestJet accounting for 27,700 weekly seats and Air Transat 16,100 weekly seats. Air Canada suspended all service on February 10 and operated empty flights to repatriate 3,000 Canadians. BoardingPassTravel also says Sunwing suspended immediately and repatriated its guests, while WestJet deployed empty aircraft to retrieve travellers carrying sufficient fuel to depart without relying on Cuban supplies.

Air Canada Vacations moved quickly to add alternate routes. OpenJaw lists four ACV flights with start dates: YYZ–Montego Bay on Tuesdays starting February 24; YUL–Cancún on Wednesdays starting February 25; YUL–Punta Cana on Fridays and Saturdays starting February 27; and YYZ–Cancún on Wednesdays starting February 28. Travelweek reports those additions are operating through April 30 and that Air Transat, Transat and other tour operators also added capacity to sun destinations even as Air Transat said it has suspended all flights through April 30.

The pullout pushed prices higher and steered Canadians into pricier alternatives. Flight Centre spokesperson Amra Durakovic said, "Pricing is shifting quickly," noting "Comparable alternatives are currently starting around $1,800 a person, instead of roughly $1,200 a person for Cuba." Traveller examples in The Globe and Mail show the pain: a Toronto woman identified as Ms. Stewart paid $759 for her Cuba flight and is now paying roughly double for replacement airfare to Europe, while Ottawa traveller Allen Zuk said a week in Cuba cost about $1,300 versus roughly $2,100 for comparable Dominican Republic offers.

Industry voices warn the pain could persist. Gedeon, an operator source quoted in OpenJaw, said, "If operators don't have risk, explains Gedeon, 'they are at the mercy of the hotels increasing rates based on higher demand as people shift from Cuba to other destinations.'" Martin Firestone of Travel Secure added a cautionary scenario: "If Cuba does not get back online for next holiday season, other resorts can decide whatever price they want-and they're probably going to get it. Some resorts and destinations could even charge double their current rates."

The capacity pullback compounds a longer decline in Cuban tourism. OpenJaw reports Canadian arrivals fell 33.5% in 2025 to 173,611, and Cuba took in 1.37 million tourists in the first nine months of 2025, down 20.5% from 2024. BoardingPassTravel and OpenJaw note January 2026 arrivals were just 196,004, "the worst January since 2022." The Cuba Tourist Board, however, maintained in Toronto that resort operations are functioning "normally and securely for the 2025/2026 winter season" and that Canadian arrivals rose 15 per cent for Nov. 1 to Jan. 31.

With ACV's temporary flights running through April 30 and Air Transat pausing service through April 30, the immediate winter crisis has been rerouted into a scramble for spring break space, rebookings and a pricier Caribbean market, an operational realignment that will shape bookings and rates into the summer selling season.