The government of Cuba announced this Tuesday the suspension of regular flights between Cuba and Argentina. This is the response to the “refusal” of the South American country’s oil company to supply fuel to its planes in application of United States sanctions against the island.
“As a result, Cubana de Aviación has been forced to suspend regular flights between Cuba and Argentina, which had been maintained for 39 years,” the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) explained in a statement.
The Cuban Government has charged against this “arbitrary measure” of the Argentine company majority state-owned Yacimientos Petrolófilos Fiscales (YPF), which in his opinion is an “evident demonstration” of the validity of the Washington’s “genocidal blockade” against Cubabut also of its extraterritorial and illegal nature.
“It is contradictory that freedom is proclaimed at all costs while the freedom of a company is limited that rigorously complies with the regulatory provisions of Argentina and the International Civil Aviation Organization,” Minrex has argued.
Cuba has alleged that YPF’s decision, which “harms” even passengers with tickets on the Havana-Buenos Aires route, represents a breach of the contract between the oil company and Cubana de Aviación in addition to a violation of Argentine laws themselves.
The Minrex has assured that the state airline sought “innumerable alternatives to maintain the operations that were already planned and authorized”, such as hiring other companies to cover those flights, but has regretted not having received “a satisfactory response that would ensure the sale of fuel”.
He added that Cubana de Aviación has especially suffered the tightening of US sanctions against the island in recent years, as well as its inclusion on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
“Cuba will continue to denounce cases of extraterritorial application of the blockade and demand the end of this illegal policy, which constitutes a flagrant violation of International Law and attracts the overwhelming rejection of the international community,” the statement concluded.
There was a previous cancellation
On April 24, the Cuban state airline announced temporary cancellation of the flights between Havana and Buenos Aires both on that date and on the previous day, alleging the refusal to serve fuel from the supplying companies in the South American country.
Cubana de Aviación then assured in a statement that the companies invoked “provisions of the United States blockade measures against Cuba” to not supply fuel to their aircraft.
The airline resumed its connection between Havana and Buenos Aires in May 2023 after the forced break due to covid-19. It also restarted flights from Argentina with a stop at the tourist destination of Cayo Coco and final destination in Havana with a rented aircraft.
Between January and March 2024 The number of Argentine travelers to Cuba increased by 44% compared to the same period of the previous year until reaching 12,753 people.
This is the first encounter of the Cuban Government with the administration of the far-right president of Argentina, Javier Mileisince the latter took office last December.
Cuba was one of the few countries in the region – Nicaragua, an ally of Havana, did so – that did not congratulate the current Argentine president after achieving the Presidency in November 2023.
