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Havana — Cuban aviation officials warned airlines that there is not enough fuel for planes to refuel on the island, the latest step in their measures to ration energy as the Trump administration cuts the Caribbean nation from its fuel resources.

Cuba’s government released the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel would not be available at nine airports on the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and running through March 11.

President Trump’s political pressure on Latin America has effectively cut off Cuba’s access to its main oil sources in Venezuela and Mexico. At the end of January, Trump signed an executive order That would impose a tariff on any products from countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba, a measure that could further paralyze an island plagued by a deepening energy crisis.

the order It would mainly put pressure on Mexicowhere the government has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba and has expressed solidarity with the American adversary, even as President Claudia Sheinbaum has done so. sought to build a solid relationship with Mr. Trump.

There was speculation in January that Mexico would cut oil shipments to Cuba under growing pressure from Trump to distance itself from Havana, but on Monday, Sheinbaum said his country would offer more aid to Cuba and called Trump’s policies unfair.

“There will be more support for Cuba,” he said Monday as more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid was loaded onto Mexican Navy ships for transport to Cuba. He said Mexico was taking the necessary diplomatic steps to resume oil shipments to Cuba.

“No one can ignore the situation that the Cuban people are currently experiencing due to the sanctions that the United States is imposing on any country that sends oil, in a very unfair manner,” Sheinbaum told reporters.

A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, which also maintains close ties with Cuba, told reporters on Tuesday that Beijing “firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security and opposes foreign interference,” adding that China “will always provide support and help to the Cuban side to the best of its ability.”

Airlines forced to adapt to a Cuba without fuel

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

On Monday, Air Canada announced it would suspend flights to the island, while other airlines announced delays and stopovers in the Dominican Republic before flights to Havana continued.

One pilot added that while there have already been problems with refueling, an official announcement on this scale is extraordinary even for an island accustomed to perpetual crises. The last time such cuts occurred (more than a decade ago) planes 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 the Dominican Republic.

Contacted Monday by News themezone, Delta Air Lines said it was not aware of any problems caused by the fuel shortage. Southwest Airlines said in a statement that its planes flying to Cuba would carry enough fuel to make the next leg of its trips.

“Due to the current state of aviation fuel in Cuba, Southwest Airlines requires that aircraft flying to Havana carry enough fuel to also fly to their next destination. The airline currently operates one daily flight to Havana,” an airline spokesperson told News themezone on Monday.

“We are closely monitoring the situation,” American Airlines told the Miami Herald on Monday.

It is not yet clear how long the notice will remain in effect, and Cuban officials have not commented publicly 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.

Energy crisis impacts Cuba beyond jet fuel

Cuban officials also announced Monday that bank hours were reduced and cultural events were suspended. In Havana, the public bus system has ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic blackouts and grueling fuel queues come to a head.

The energy emergency has forced the suspension of large events such as the Havana International Book Fair this weekend and the restructuring of the national baseball season to achieve greater efficiency. Some banks have reduced their operating hours and fuel distribution companies said they would no longer sell gasoline in Cuban pesos, and that sales will be made in dollars and limited to about 5 gallons per user.

The latest measures come on top of others announced Friday, including cuts to bus transportation and limited train departures.

On Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel gave a two-hour televised speech in which he acknowledged the impact and warned that action would be taken in the coming days.

US sanctions against Cuba have been in place for more than six decades and have long stunted the Cuban economy. But they went to new extremes after a U.S. military operation overthrew former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Trump began taking an even more confrontational tone toward Latin America.

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