Madrid/The airline Air China organized an extraordinary flight from Havana to pick up passengers affected by the cancellations of its route to Beijing, with a stopover in Madrid. The plane, whose departure was scheduled for 10:30 p.m. on Monday, took off from the Cuban capital and landed in Nassau, Bahamas, at 11:25 p.m., according to FlightAware logs cited this Tuesday by Reuters.
“If your flight CA866 was canceled before October 10, you can complete the boarding procedures for flight CA590 free of charge at the Air China counter at the José Martí International Airport in Havana on October 19 starting at 5:00 p.m.,” reported the Chinese Embassy in Cuba in a statement published this Monday.
The Chinese Embassy in Cuba warned that “the number of seats on the additional flight is limited”
The diplomatic representation also warned that “the number of seats on the additional flight is limited” and asked travelers to be aware of possible schedule changes, plan ahead and go to the airport as soon as possible.
Air China attributes the frequent cancellations and modifications of flight CA866 to “technical reasons,” not to mention fuel shortages. This reason has forced several airlines to modify their operations and completely suspend others since the beginning of this year.
Since early October, Air China cancellations have left dozens of Cubans stranded at the Madrid-Barajas airport. Some passengers reported waits of more than 15 hours and difficulties in obtaining explanations or compensation.
Since the beginning of October, Air China cancellations left dozens of Cubans stranded at the Madrid-Barajas airport
Air China has used Nassau as a technical stopover to refuel since March, given the supply difficulties in Havana. Affected travelers also pointed out that airline employees had linked the cancellations to work on a runway at the Bahamian airport, scheduled until the end of October.
With two weekly flights between Madrid and Havana, Air China was the preferred option for many Cubans residing in Spain for its more affordable prices. The fuel crisis and the fall in tourism have left Air Europa as the only Spanish airline that maintains regular flights to Cubawhile Iberia extended the suspension of its flights until July 2027, and other companies such as World2Fly and Plus Ultra have suspended their operations.
The Chinese Embassy has not announced a date for the normalization of services and Reuters has not confirmed that the plane will complete its journey to Beijing.
