Air Europa unions seek voluntary staffing for Cuba flights

Air Europa unions are asking that crew participation on flights to Cuba be voluntary. The proposal would allow each worker to decide whether to join those services while the airline maintains the Madrid–Havana connection. Union sources summarized their concern by saying “uncertainty is at its highest” and connected the request to operational difficulties and the lack of certainty they believe surrounds flights to the island.

A shortage of aviation fuel in Cuba is one problem affecting operations. On return trips to Madrid, Air Europa makes a technical stop in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, to refuel before continuing. The stop occurs on every return flight and adds a stage to the journey. Despite that logistical need, the airline continues operating between Spain and Cuba.

The request comes after other Spanish airlines stopped flying to Cuba. Iberia, World2Fly and Plus Ultra suspended operations before the summer and have not announced when they might resume. Air Europa, by contrast, maintains the Madrid–Havana service. It is the only one of the four still operating the route, although the union request is not a cancellation announcement.

The airline expanded its schedule at the start of summer, moving from three weekly frequencies to four in July. Its plans also call for increasing service to five flights a week in mid-December. That increase is a projection, not a frequency already in effect. The planned expansion coincides with the unions’ request that flying to Cuba depend on each crew member’s individual decision.

Union sources also linked labor concerns to conditions in Cuba and U.S. pressure on companies connected to sanctioned Cuban entities. The request concerns the terms under which employees participate in the flights, not a company decision to suspend them. For now, Air Europa maintains the return stop in the Dominican Republic and continues its Havana service while unions press their request for voluntary participation.