HAVANA (Reuters) – Argentine jet fuel suppliers in Buenos Aires refused to serve Cuba’s state-owned airline Cubana this week, citing concerns about U.S. trade sanctions on Cuba, the Havana-based airline said late on Wednesday, leading to several unexpected flight cancellations.
Cubana de Aviacion SA, which operates flights within Cuba and to several international cities, said it had canceled flights on April 23 and 24, as well as other flights contracted with partner airlines, forcing the company to rebook passengers or issue refunds .
“This decision follows the refusal of aviation fuel suppliers in the Republic of Argentina to provide services to the airline, invoking the provisions of the US blockade measures against Cuba,” the airline said in a short statement.
Argentina’s Foreign Ministry and Office of the Presidency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the matter.
The US trade embargo against Cuba was imposed after Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959.
The web of U.S. laws and regulations complicates financial transactions and the Cuban government’s acquisition of goods and services, while also creating risks for foreign companies trading with Cuba.
Cubana’s long-standing flights between Havana and Buenos Aires operated largely unhindered despite sanctions under the administration of Argentina’s left-wing former president Alberto Fernandez, who had close ties to Cuba.
But Argentine President Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian who came to power on December 10, is unashamedly pro-United States and has taken a cooler stance toward left-wing trading partners in the region and beyond, including Brazil and China.
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Cuba has largely kept quiet about Milei’s election.
