Cuba says airlines can no longer refuel on the island as US blockade deepens energy crisis

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines that there isn't enough fuel for airplanes to refuel on the island, the latest step in its moves to ration energy as the Trump administration cuts the Caribbean nation off from its fuel resources.

The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel won’t be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11.

Political pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on Latin America has effectively severed Cuba’s access to its primary petroleum sources in Venezuela and Mexico.

In late January, Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple an island plagued by a deepening energy crisis.

While the rationing may not disrupt shorter regional flights, it presents a significant challenge for long-haul routes from countries like Russia and Canada — a critical pillar of Cuba’s tourism economy.

On Monday, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to the island, while other airlines announced delays and layovers in the Dominican Republic before flights continued to Havana.

One pilot added that while refueling issues have occurred before, an official announcement of this scale is extraordinary even for an island accustomed to perpetual crisis. The last time such cuts occurred — more than a decade ago — aircraft bound for Europe refueled in Nassau, Bahamas, the pilot recalled. Now, regional airlines could avoid problems by bringing extra fuel, while others could refuel in Cancun, Mexico, or in the Dominican Republic.

It remains unclear how long the notice will remain in effect and Cuban officials have made no public comments on the matter.

The fuel shortage deals another blow to a country that relies heavily on tourism, an industry that once generated $3 billion in annual revenue and served as a vital economic lifeline.

Cuban officials also announced Monday that bank hours have been reduced and cultural events suspended. In Havana, the public bus system has effectively ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic power outages and grueling fuel lines reach a breaking point.

The energy emergency has forced the suspension of major events like the Havana International Book Fair this weekend and a restructuring of the national baseball season for greater efficiency. Some banks have cut operating hours and fuel distribution companies said they would no longer sell gas in Cuban pesos — and that sales will be made in dollars and limited to 20 liters (5.28 gallons) per user.

The latest measures add to others announced Friday, including cuts to bus transportation and limited train departures.

On Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a two-hour televised address, acknowledging the impact and warning that measures would be taken in the coming days.

U.S. sanctions against Cuba have been in place for more than six decades and have long stunted Cuba's economy. But they reached new extremes after a U.S. military operation deposed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Trump began to take an even more confrontational tone toward Latin America.

For many Cubans, the crisis has translated into power outages lasting up to 10 hours, fuel shortages for vehicles, and a lack of food or medicine that many compare to the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the Special Period that followed cuts in aid from what was then the Soviet Union.

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Associated Press journalists Joshua Funk in Omaha, Nebraska and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A man wearing a jacket in the colors of Venezuela's flag lines up to purchase fuel at a gas station in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

People look at their travel documents at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A Turkish Airlines aircraft prepares for take-off at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A Turkish Airlines plane takes off alongside an American Airlines plane at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Joan Laporta was reelected as the president of FC Barcelona for another five years after winning a leadership vote among members of the Spanish soccer powerhouse on Sunday.

Shortly after midnight in Barcelona, the club announced Laporta had won.

His only rival, Víctor Font, had earlier conceded defeat and congratulated Laporta “for his unquestionable victory."

With the counting now over, Barcelona said Laporta received 68% of the votes.

The club said that more than 48,000 of Barça’s 114,000 club members cast ballots at Camp Nou Stadium or at four other voting stations across Catalonia in northeastern Spain and in Andorra.

“Thanks to this marvelous club, where its fans still vote to decide who will be their president and executive board,” Laporta said in his victory speech inside an auditorium at Camp Nou, flanked by members of his incoming board.

Laporta successfully presided over Barça from 2003-10 during the glory years of coach Pep Guardiola and a young Lionel Messi.

He was voted back into his post in 2021 when the club was in a dire economic situation after the lavish spending on players by president Josep Bartomeu and the financial hit of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laporta responded to the crisis by deciding Barcelona could no longer afford Messi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain, and selling off some club assets, including 25% of its Spanish league TV rights for the next 25 years.

The club’s debt, however, has increased under Laporta, growing from 1.3 billion euros to over 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) under his watch.

Font’s campaign tried to paint Laporta as an irresponsible manager who had ruined the future of the club, but Laporta won over more club members with his message that he had saved the club from ruin and now needed another term to finish the job.

Laporta, 63, was helped by the strong performance of the team under coach Hansi Flick and the emergence of a new star player in Lamine Yamal.

He defended his financial management by highlighting that the club has lowered its spending on player wages and boosted its revenues. The increase in debt was also partly due to a long-overdue renovation of Camp Nou, the largest soccer stadium in Europe, which will boost revenues once complete in the coming months.

Barça’s club elections have many of the trappings of a real political election, with a long campaign that was intensely followed by Barcelona’s fans in Catalonia and the local media.

Coach Flick and several players of the club's men's and women's soccer teams and its other sports teams, which include basketball and handball, cast ballots at Camp Nou on Sunday.

The election took place on the same day that Barcelona's men's team beat Sevilla 5-2 to retain its lead of the Spanish league.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Candidate, Joan Laporta, center, reacts during early voting projections for the election to be president of FC Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Candidate, Joan Laporta reacts during early voting projections for the election to be president of FC Barcelona soccer club in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Fans of Barcelona's team cheer during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Sevilla in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Joan Laporta, center, reacts as he poses with players Gavi, left, and Ronald Araujo after the voting for the election to be president of FC Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Candidate, Joan Laporta reacts during early voting projections for the election to be president of FC Barcelona soccer club in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)