Russia and Cuba explore restoring suspended direct flights

Russia and Cuba are negotiating the resumption of direct flights suspended since February. The October 9 meeting between Dmitri Yadrov, head of Russia’s federal aviation agency, and Joel Beltrán Archer Santos, president of Cuba’s Civil Aviation Corporation, included no date for restarting operations.

From January through August 2026, Cuba received 21,563 Russian visitors, compared with 80,653 during the same period a year earlier. The National Office of Statistics and Information puts the difference at 59,090 people, a decline of 73.3%. August recorded 189 Russian visitors, compared with 8,463 in the same month of 2025.

Rossiya and Nordwind suspended regular flights to the island in February 2026 after airport authorities warned of a shortage of Jet A-1 fuel at Cuban international terminals. The airlines organized return flights for Russian tourists who remained in Cuba.