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Cuba Fuel Crisis Still Lets US Tours Run Feb 2026

Cuba fuel crisis tours continue, but HAV flight boards show delays as jet fuel limits raise rebooking risk
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5 min read

Cuba's fuel and power shortages have become a travel story because they are now hitting the aviation supply chain, not just daily life. Cuban aviation authorities warned airlines in early February 2026 that jet fuel for refueling on the island was not reliably available, which pushed several non US carriers, including major Canadian airlines, to suspend flights. That headline makes it sound like tourism stops everywhere at once, but many US focused tour operators say their Cuba fuel crisis tours are still running, because hotels and restaurants that serve visitors are using generators, and ground transportation for organized groups is still operating.

The practical split is this, the airlift is fragile for travelers relying on foreign carriers that normally refuel in Cuba, while many US departures can function by carrying enough fuel for the round trip from nearby US airports. That does not make the situation "fine," it just means the failure point is uneven across markets. The result is a confusing environment where trips can operate normally on the ground, while flight options tighten, rumors spike, and cancellations rise.

Who Is Affected

Travelers departing Canada, or flying to Cuba on airlines that normally depend on in country refueling, are the most exposed to sudden schedule changes, suspensions, or refueling detours that add time and reduce reliability. Reuters reporting on February 9, 2026 described Canadian carriers suspending service after Cuba warned of jet fuel shortages, and also noted examples of airlines adding refueling stops outside Cuba. That is the front door problem, if your airline cannot reliably fuel, the whole trip becomes a question of whether you can get there, and more importantly, whether you can get out on schedule.

US travelers on authorized trips are in a different bucket. Several US focused tour operators told Travel Weekly on February 20, 2026 that they have not faced major itinerary breakdowns so far, and that private sector partners have kept core tourist services running. That said, these operators also described sharp demand damage driven by fear of blackouts, fuel scarcity, and travel warnings, with cancellations hitting group sizes even when the operator can still deliver the trip.

Local communities in tourist corridors are affected either way. Even if visitor facing businesses are prioritized for limited fuel and power, a sustained shortage squeezes the broader system that tourism depends on, including waste collection, road fuel availability for staff commutes, and the stability of essential services. Reuters reporting on February 16, 2026 described fuel driven disruptions in Havana, including reduced garbage collection capacity, which is a reminder that travelers do not move through a sealed resort bubble on most US style cultural itineraries.

What Travelers Should Do

Act like your biggest risk is logistics whiplash, not a single catastrophic failure. Reconfirm your flights directly with the airline, not just through an agency, and recheck the specific terms for changes, refunds, and involuntary cancellations. If you are flying a non US carrier, ask one pointed question, "Is this flight planned to refuel in Cuba, or will it tanker fuel or refuel elsewhere," because that determines whether the jet fuel constraint is a direct threat to your departure.

Decide in advance what would make you rebook versus wait. If your carrier has already suspended service, rebook now while inventory exists, because the alternative is a shrinking seat map and worse prices. If your flight is still operating but you have tight onward connections, separate tickets, or fixed time events, move to a routing with more margin or shift your dates. If your trip is a guided itinerary with a reputable operator, and your flights are on a US carrier that can operate round trips without refueling in Cuba, waiting can be rational, but only if you are comfortable with intermittent power and occasional service constraints.

Over the next 24 to 72 hours, monitor three signals, not the rumor mill. First, watch airline advisories and flight status for your exact flight number, because fleet wide headlines do not always match your route. Second, track your government travel advisory updates for Cuba, because advisories from Canada and the UK are explicitly flagging fuel and power related service disruptions, and shifts can influence travel insurance decisions. Third, ask your hotel or operator what their generator, water, and transport contingencies are, then treat vague answers as a reason to switch suppliers, not as reassurance.

Background

A jet fuel shortage creates a very specific cascade. The first order effect is simple, if airports cannot reliably provide Jet A for refueling, airlines either cancel service, tanker fuel in from origin, or add refueling stops in third countries, all of which reduce capacity and increase delay risk. The second order effects land fast, fewer seats mean fewer tourists, which hits hotel occupancy, staffing stability, and the private sector cash flow that keeps generators fueled and vehicles moving. Even if tourist hotels and restaurants prioritize generator use, the wider grid and road fuel constraints still shape the experience through slower transfers, more fragile supply deliveries, and degraded municipal services.

This is why two things can be true at the same time. A tour group can still eat at operating restaurants, sleep in hotels running on backup power, and move around in pre arranged transport, while the broader tourism economy contracts because the airlift and the headlines are poisoning demand. Travel advisories reflect the system wide risk, while operators working inside a narrower lane can sometimes keep delivering a consistent product, at least until the aviation and energy inputs tighten further.

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