LatinNews Daily - 14 April 2026

*Spanish airline Iberia has announced the temporary suspension of its Madrid-Havana route from 1 June to 24 October. The announcement signals the latest blow to Cuba’s crucial tourism sector which has been hit hard by the oil blockade applied by the US administration led by President Donald Trump, deepening the country’s energy crisis and raising concern about a humanitarian crisis. The crippling fuel shortages, which have led Cuba’s government to warn of insufficient fuel at the country’s airports, have already led other airlines to suspend flights, with Cuba’s two main sources of tourists, Canada and Russia, suspending flights and repatriating their tourists. Ahead of the fuel blockade which ensued following the US military incursion in Venezuela in January and removal of former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), and which Washington partially lifted last month to allow for the delivery of some Russian crude, Cuba’s tourism sector was already in strife amid a multifaceted economic crisis. The island received a total of 1.81m international tourists in 2025, down 18% on 2024.

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