Air Transat postpones Cuba flight resumption until June 20

Air Transat has postponed the restart of its flights to Cuba until June 20, 2026, according to a notice sent to the trade on Tuesday (March 17).

The update comes “due to the current fuel shortage in Cuba and the uncertainty around when operations will fully return to normal,” the company wrote.

Transat’s summer schedule has been adjusted accordingly and bookings affected by a change will receive a notification starting Thursday (March 19).

Departures From May 1 to June 17

In the absence of short-term operational alternatives, all bookings with departures scheduled from Canada between May 1st and June 17, 2026, inclusively, will automatically be cancelled and refunded to the original form of payment on file. 

“No action is required from you or your clients,” Transat wrote. 

Refunds are also processed automatically. 

For credit card payments, processing is generally completed within a few business days. However, depending on the client's financial institution, it may take up to two weeks for the refund to appear on the account, the company said.

“Agents who wish to protect their clients on a later departure in June or July may do so by calling our Contact Centre,” the company said. “We will then guarantee the original price, subject to availability.”

The fare class, length of stay, destination city, hotel, room category, and number of occupants must remain the same.

Air Transat had initially suspended all flights to Cuba until April 30.

Departures from June 18 to Oct. 31

Considering the situation, Air Transat is revising its program for the remainder of the summer season.

Currently, it plans to continue serving all destinations while adjusting operating days, primarily Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, from Montreal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ) to Cayo Coco (CCC), Varadero, (VRA), Holguin (HOG), and Santa Clara (SNU).

“Passengers will be automatically reprotected on Air Transat flights. They may also choose to decline the proposed alternative and receive a full refund to their original form of payment.”

To request a refund instead of the alternative flight, passengers simply need to decline the option in the notification they will receive later this week.

Cuba power grid collapse

The update comes on the heels of Cuba suffering another power grid collapse, plunging much of the island — including Havana — into darkness.

As reported, state power operator UNE said early Tuesday (March 17) that electricity was gradually being restored in parts of the country, but the outage is the latest in a series of widespread blackouts tied to Cuba’s worsening energy crisis.

Aging infrastructure and ongoing fuel shortages have strained the system, with the situation compounded by restrictions on oil shipments.  Cuba relies heavily on imported fuel, and supply disruptions in recent months have made electricity generation increasingly unstable.

As previously reported, Air Canada has pushed back the return of its Cuba service until November 1, 2026, citing ongoing operational issues including power outages and hotel closures on the island.

While Canadians can still access Cuba through select connecting routes, the Government of Canada is currently warning citizens against all non-essential travel to Cuba, pointing to deepening shortages of fuel, electricity, food, water, and medicine.

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