The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that, due to the refusal to supply fuel by the Argentine oil company YPF (Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales), flights by the state airline Cubana de Aviación to Argentina have been suspended.
The Cuban state company operated in Argentina for 39 years, maintaining a weekly route
Photo: Canva / Profile Brazil
“Cubana de Aviación was forced to suspend regular flights between Cuba and Argentina”, said the Ministry in a statement on Tuesday (30). The opinion was published a week after the company reported that fuel suppliers in Argentina had refused in a manner “abrupt” to provide services for its authorized flights in the country, which forced the cancellation of operations.
The Cuban state company had operated in Argentina for 39 years, maintaining a weekly route. In March 2024, the Cuban company was informed by the oil company YPF, a majority state-owned Argentine company, that fuel supplies would be interrupted due to the United States blockade against Cuba.
“The Cubana de Aviación company sought numerous alternatives to maintain operations that were already planned and authorized by the National Civil Aviation Administration of Argentina and not affect passengers, through contracting other airlines”, informed the Cuban company. She also reported that companies subcontracted to assist passengers affected by the measure faced similar problems, unable to obtain fuel.
Solution for the impasse between Cuba and Argentina
The Argentine Secretary of Transport met last Friday with the representative of Cubana de Aviación in Buenos Aires, seeking a solution to the impasse. The Cuban government, however, declared that the company “did not receive a satisfactory response that would guarantee the sale of fuel”. The secretariat, in turn, states that the Cuban company is legally qualified to operate in the country and that the problem must be resolved between the companies.
“It is a clear demonstration not only of the validity of the application of the United States’ genocidal blockade against Cuba, but also of its extraterritorial nature, in addition to violating the rules of international trade”expresses the statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
A source from the Argentine oil company YPF, the sole supplier of fuel to Cubana de Aviación in Argentina, told CNN that the commercial relationship was terminated due to increased controls imposed by the United States Department of Justice and the Department of Treasury. As YPF has shares listed on the US Securities and Exchange Commission, it cannot violate US impositions.
On the other hand, the Cuban government claims that YPF’s decision contravenes Argentine legislation. Law 24,871, of 1997, establishes that foreign regulations that seek to impose an economic blockade or limitations on investments with the aim of changing the form of government of a country or harming its right to self-determination are inapplicable and have no legal effect.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry also criticized the government’s stance on Javier Mileistating that “It is contradictory to proclaim freedom at all costs while limiting the freedom of a company that strictly complies with the regulations of Argentina and the International Civil Aviation Organization”and classified the measures against Cuba as “anachronistic and absurd”.
* Under the supervision of Lilian Coelho
