Porto, Portugal, Feb. 12, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese minister of state and foreign affairs has said in Porto that the Government is closely monitoring the situation in Cuba, which is suffering the consequences of the suspension of oil deliveries from Venezuela.
"We are monitoring the situation in Cuba very closely and with concern, of course," said Paulo Rangel, when questioned by journalists on Wednesday evening about the situation on the Caribbean island, where the Vila Galé Group has hotels and travel operators are preparing package holidays on charter flights for the Easter holidays.
On the sidelines of the 35th National Congress of the Portuguese Hotel Association, which is taking place in Porto until Friday, Paulo Rangel said he could not add any further details.
"So, work is ongoing and, in that sense, I would say that we are monitoring the situation very closely, but I don't want to say anything else, because I shouldn't say anything else," he explained.
On Tuesday, Canadian airlines Air Transat and WestJet announced the suspension of flights to Cuba, where fuel stocks have been rapidly declining since the United States increased pressure on the communist island.
Cuba is suffering the consequences of the suspension of oil deliveries from Venezuela, ordered by US President Donald Trump after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by the US armed forces in early January.
In response to pressure from Washington, the Cuban government has announced emergency measures, including a four-day week for state-owned companies and restrictions on fuel sales.
Air Transat announced the cancellation of all flights to Cuba until at least 30 April, "as a result of the rapidly evolving situation in recent hours and the announcement by the Cuban authorities of a possible shortage of aviation fuel at airports".
"Depending on how the situation develops, flights to Cuba may resume as early as 1 May," the company added, specifying that it would contact customers in Cuba to arrange their repatriation.
WestJet announced "a gradual and orderly reduction of winter operations" and indicated in a statement that it would also begin sending empty planes to Cuba to repatriate passengers.
"In the coming days, the airline will operate outbound flights without passengers to pick up approximately 3,000 passengers already at the destination and bring them back home," it said in a statement.
Air Canada had already suspended flights to Cuba.
Over the weekend, Cuban authorities informed airlines that aviation fuel supplies would be interrupted for one month starting at midnight on Monday.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the country's international airports have exhausted their reserves of Jet A1 fuel, the most widely used in commercial aviation, which will not be available between 10 February and 10 March at the nine main airports.
Given the situation, airlines have adjusted their operations. Russia's Aeroflot has changed flight schedules and suspended ticket sales, while Spain's Iberia has made fares more flexible for passengers with scheduled trips, and Air Europa has confirmed a stopover in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) to refuel flights to and from Havana.
The shortage has also affected the hotel sector.
According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), hotels with low occupancy have temporarily closed and guests have been re-accommodated free of charge in other establishments, usually of a higher category.
Despite the disruptions, some hotels continue to operate normally. ATOR also indicated that between 4,200 and 4,700 Russian tourists may currently be in Cuba, adding that tour operators are in close contact with local partners to coordinate their response to the situation.
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