OTTAWA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Air Canada announced Monday it is suspending its flight service to Cuba, effective immediately, due to an "ongoing shortage of aviation fuel on the island."
It is projected that as of Feb. 10 aviation fuel will not be commercially available at the island's airports, Canada's largest airline said in a statement.
According to the statement, the airline will operate empty flights to the island over the following days to bring back approximately 3,000 customers.
Air Canada operates an average of 16 weekly flights from Toronto and Montreal to four destinations in Cuba.
As a result of the suspension, two seasonal flights to Cuba are cancelled and two year-round flights are suspended with a tentative restart on May 1, according to the statement. ■