The lack of aviation fuel in Cuba has triggered a new crisis that is severely impacting the international tourism sector and, in particular, Spanish companies with a significant presence on the island. The Cuban government has warned airlines that it cannot guarantee kerosene supplies at the country's airports for weeks, a situation that has forced a reconfiguration of flight operations and accelerated adjustments in the hotel sector. The crisis is part of a serious energy emergency plaguing the country, with difficulties importing oil and its derivatives, which affects not only air transport but also the electricity supply and economic activity in general. Tourism, Cuba's main source of foreign currency, is once again in an extremely vulnerable position.

The Provincial Court of the Balearic Islands has ordered the airline Air Europa to compensate three passengers with €1,800 for the more than six-hour delay of their Lima-Madrid flight, the court reported. The ruling partially upholds the appeal of the affected passengers, who claimed €3,600 for two flights on April 3 and 5. The first flight was canceled, and the second was delayed by more than three hours. The passengers argued that the aircraft, after taking off and circling for approximately an hour, should have been canceled after just one hour. Two days later, they were rebooked on another flight with the same airline, which was delayed by six and a half hours. The airline explained the cancellation as an "exceptional circumstance" because a bird strike during takeoff damaged the right engine and necessitated "positioning equipment from Madrid to put the aircraft back into service." However, the airline made no mention of the reason for the delay of the second flight. An initial court ruling dismissed the claim and concluded that the company could not be held responsible for lack of foresight or diligence. In the Provincial Court's ruling, the court considers it proven that the damage was caused by a bird strike, an exceptional circumstance that exonerates the company because it is a "circumstance beyond the airline's control, or at least, there is no circumstantial evidence that this incident is frequent at the airport." "We do not see any means by which the airline could have avoided the impact," the ruling states. However, the judges question whether the repair time was "excessive," raising doubts as to whether the defect could have been repaired more quickly given that the defendant company lacked the necessary infrastructure in Peru, and whether other technicians could have been called in. Furthermore, the judges indicate that regarding the six-hour delay of the second flight, for which the airline has offered no explanation, the plaintiffs should be compensated for the "unjustified delay, exceeding three hours." hours, once a new departure time for the aircraft has been designated and the bird is not kept." The sentence will not be final and may be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Air Europa, the airline based in Llucmajor, has finalized its agreement with Turkish Airlines, which will allow the Turkish carrier to acquire a stake in the Spanish airline through a €300 million investment, the company announced early this morning. The transaction has been structured as a convertible loan, which will be exchanged for a stake of approximately 26% in Air Europa, once all regulatory requirements are met, the airline explained. This deal values Air Europa, which is predominantly Spanish and family-owned, at around €1.175 billion, the company stated.

Air Europa accepted this Tuesday the acquisition offer for a minority stake in the company presented by Turkish Airlines (THY), amounting to €300 million, according to sources close to the transaction, EFE learned on Tuesday.