Cubana de Aviación canceled two flights between Havana and Ezeiza airport, in Argentina, after fuel supply companies refused to supply kerosene, according to a statement published by the airline.
Although it does not mention Javier Milei’s government, the sudden suspension of supplies was taken out of fear that the sanctions imposed on Cuba by the United States would reach companies in Argentina.
At the beginning of the year, Argentina had already anticipated a final court decision and allowed the United States to remove from Buenos Aires a plane belonging to a Venezuelan company that had been arrested at Washington’s request.
The American allegation is that the Venezuelan cargo ship had been purchased from an Iranian company under US sanctions.
The plane was flown to Miami and demolished.
REPRISAL
The US sanctions thousands of individuals, companies, institutions and governments around the world to impose its political and economic guidelines.
In protest, Venezuela prevented Aerolineas Argentinas from using Venezuelan airspace on its flights to the Dominican Republic and the United States, thereby increasing fuel consumption.
The Cuban company’s statement said:
Faced with the abrupt refusal of companies supplying aviation fuels in the Republic of Argentina to provide services to Cubana de Aviación and its flights authorized by the Argentine National Civil Aviation Administration, invoking the provisions of the United States’ blockade measures against Cuba, Cubana de Aviation was forced to cancel flights CU360/CU361 on April 23 and 24, 2024.
If there is no alternative, Cubana flights will be eliminated, another blow to one of Cuba’s most important economic sectors, tourism.
The episode takes place days before the 2024 International Tourism Fair in Cuba, which this year targets Latin America.
One of the event’s objectives is to increase the number of visitors from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and Caribbean nations.
The fair starts on May 1st.
According to Cubana de Aviación, Argentine tourists who are in Cuba will be rebooked on flights from other airlines and those who would start their journey will be reimbursed 100%.
Another coincidence: the announcement was made when the president of Cuba, Miguel Diáz-Canel, is in Venezuela for the twenty-third meeting of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty.
It is a commercial alliance that brings together ten countries, including Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
The Cuban government has not yet commented on the episode.
CRISIS AND EXTERNAL AID
Cuba is facing the biggest economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union, due to the combination of the coronavirus pandemic, a drop in the number of tourists and an increase in United States sanctions, implemented by the Trump administration and maintained by Joe Biden.
Washington targets Cuba’s sources of dollars: medical assistance agreements, like the one canceled by the Bolsonaro government in Brazil, and tourism.
The lack of electricity and basic food sparked street protests.
China has been helping the country with flights that land tons of rice.
Since taking office, Javier Milei has taken a series of measures to please the US, such as announcing the construction of a binational port in Patagonia, with strategic importance for ships going to Antarctica.
He also wants Argentina to be accepted as a special member of NATO.
More recently, Milei adopted the “bite and blow” approach, sending Chancellor Diana Mondino on visits to Brazil and China, Buenos Aires’ biggest trading partners.
Milei also sent a letter to President Lula, but the Brazilian said in a recent interview that he had not yet had access to the message.
