Sunwing Vacations has announced the extension and expansion of its suspension of services in Cuba due to the ongoing fuel shortage on the island. Operations for all Sunwing Vacations Group entities, including Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations, and Vacances WestJet Quebec, will be canceled from June 20 to Oct. 9 in Cuba. Flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco for the summer season, originally planned to proceed, are also being halted until Oct. 10, as confirmed by Sunwing in a statement to CBC News.
The company disclosed that flights to other Cuban destinations such as Holguin, Santa Clara, Cayo Largo, and Cienfuegos will recommence on Oct. 25. Sunwing Vacations Group, a subsidiary of WestJet Group, will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as necessary.
Affected customers will be contacted and offered alternative arrangements, with Sunwing assuring that trips to popular vacation spots like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Punta Cana, and Montego Bay are still available. Canadian airlines had initially suspended flights to Cuba in February when Cuban airports faced a jet fuel shortage.
The suspension was in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which disrupted Cuba’s oil supply. Trump’s executive order imposing tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba worsened the fuel crisis, impacting daily life for Cuban residents with countrywide blackouts and rising prices for essential goods.