A group of Russian visitors were victims of the poor service provided by the Cuban tourism industry and decided to protest at the Cayo Coco airport after the 18-hour delay in supplying fuel to the aircraft that was to leave for Moscow.
According to the Russian portal Belthe flight was delayed due to a breakdown of the tanker truck that transported the fuel to the Cuban airport, while the site specialized in tourism Tourdom reported that the company Nordwind Airlines, in charge of the air connection, declared that the reason for the delay was because “there was not enough fuel” at the island’s terminal “to refuel the aircraft.”
The lack of fuel became known while the plane was preparing for takeoff, Nordwind’s press service reported, adding that the passengers were temporarily accommodated in a hotel.
The lack of fuel became known while the plane was preparing for takeoff, the Nordwind press service reported, adding that the passengers were temporarily accommodated in a hotel.
A video of the protest carried out by the tourists emerged in Russian media, who, between anger and complaints, were not informed of what was happening. One of them stated that “they were not given water for a long time.” “At three in the morning we checked into the hotel and at seven they told us to get on the bus,” he told Bel the man after explaining what the return to the airport was like to finally fly to Moscow-Sheremetyevo International Airport.
The Nordwind Boeing was scheduled to fly from Cayo Coco (Jardines del Rey International Airport) to Moscow on February 8 at six in the afternoon, but due to this problem it left a day later and arrived this Saturday in the Russian capital.
Nordwind is currently the only airline that operates direct flights between Moscow and Cayo Coco.
The terrible services that the Island offers in the tourism sector is not exclusive to airports. On January 3rd, 14 intervene published the story of Maidelys, a Cuban who suffered a tortuous trip on a Viazul bus between Ciego de Ávila and Havana.
Three hours stranded on the highway due to the breakdown of the vehicle led to several passengers, including foreigners and Cubans living abroad, missing their booked flights to their homes.
After the reopening of the borders due to covid-19, the official Cuban press began to sell the Jardines del Rey destination as a safe space despite the epidemiological complexities. The airport of the same name began to receive up to 35 flights per week.
On December 24 of last year, the Russian state airline Rossiya, a subsidiary of Aeroflot, resumed its direct flights between Moscow and Havana.
In 2021, during the coronavirus crisis, Russia positioned itself as the first country sending tourists to Cuba. However, in September 2023 it was in third position with 120,065, behind Canada (709,555) and the United States (126,600).
On December 24 of last year, the Russian state airline Rossiya, a subsidiary of Aeroflot, resumed its direct flights between Moscow and Havana. This link between the two capitals had been suspended since March 2022 as a result of the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Asian country for the invasion of Ukraine and which forced it to pass through the North Pole to reach Cuba.
According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Chernishenko, between January and October 2023, the tourist flow between Havana and Moscow increased 3.5 times, so until last November 164,197 Russian tourists had arrived on the Island.
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