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Multiple airlines are now pulling flights to Cuba amid significant aviation fuel shortages triggered by US sanctions.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: To keep it blunt, Cuba is pretty fucked right now after the United States cut off all Venezuelan oil shipments to the island. You may remember that shortly after the US removed Maduro, Trump announced that no more Venezuelan oil would be going to Cuba. That forced Cuba to rely on its second-largest oil supplier, Mexico, to fill the gap. Last week, Mexico delayed its first oil shipment to Cuba and has indicated it will delay additional shipments to avoid tariffs. Attached below is a graph showing where Cuba’s oil imports come from, with Mexico and Venezuela together supplying about 85% of the island’s energy.

What’s going on now: Air Canada, one of Cuba’s largest foreign carriers, has suspended all flights to the island due to the aviation fuel shortage and is now flying empty planes to retrieve about 3,000 Canadian tourists stranded at resorts. The airline cited government-issued NOTAMs warning of the “unreliability of aviation fuel supply” and has canceled all seasonal service to Holguín and Santa Clara, with flights to Varadero and Cayo Coco on hold until at least May 1. WestJet is also winding down its operations to Cuba, planning to halt winter service by February 9 and possibly resume later in April. Meanwhile, Air Europa has rerouted its Madrid-Havana flights to refuel in the Dominican Republic, while Russian carrier Rossiya Airlines has canceled at least one Cuba-bound flight and instead sent an empty plane to repatriate Russian tourists.

Despite the chaos, some airlines are continuing service with adjusted logistics. US carriers like American Airlines, Delta, and Southwest said their planes are flying to Cuba with enough fuel to return without refueling.

This comes as Cuba’s leadership faces increasing scrutiny over how it plans to maintain essential services. President Trump has publicly said that Cuba is going to “fall” unless it makes a “deal” with the United States. Trump has not indicated what kind of “deal” he’s seeking from the Cuban government, though some reporting indicates that the Trump administration is seeking total regime change in Cuba.