Cuba’s airline network holds at 26 carriers as suspensions mount

Cuba’s official airline count still sits at 26 carriers and charter operators, but that number is disguising a much narrower travel picture. ECASA’s May list, posted at the start of the month, reads like a live snapshot rather than a promise of what survives to the next schedule change. World2Fly had already stopped operating by late May, and Iberia was set to end its Cuba flights in June, tightening the squeeze on Spain’s side of the market.

The clearest remaining depth is on the U.S. side. American Airlines was listed with service to Havana, Varadero, Santa Clara, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba and Holguín, a spread that still gives travelers multiple gateways on paper. That matters because it is one of the few networks left with reach beyond Havana, but even there, the value is in flexibility more than abundance. When a carrier disappears from the schedule, the island loses not just a seat count but a backup option for anyone trying to route around cancellations or delays.

The collapse began well before May. On February 9, Cuba’s aviation authorities issued NOTAM A0356/26 warning that Jet A-1 fuel would not be available at nine international airports from February 10, 2026, at 05:00 UTC. The affected airports were Havana, Varadero, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Cayo Coco and Manzanillo. That fuel shortage pushed airlines into technical refueling stops, then into cancellations and suspensions, with more than 1,700 flights to Cuba canceled so far in 2026.

The fallout reached tourism quickly. CiberCuba said the island received 457,716 fewer visitors in January and April 2026, and reported closed hotels and major disruptions during peak season. Canadian carriers Air Canada, WestJet and Transat were among those that suspended flights, cutting another set of familiar links into the island. In the Spain-Cuba market, Cubana de Aviación canceled its only weekly Madrid-Santiago de Cuba and Havana route after Plus Ultra withdrew, while Air Europa remained as the lone Spanish airline still flying, with three weekly Madrid-Havana flights.

That is the real story behind the 26-carrier headline. Cuba still has names on the board, but the usable network is shrinking around them, and every new suspension makes trip planning less about choosing a route and more about hoping the route is still there when departure day arrives.