Sunwing Vacations cancels all Cuba operations until October amid island’s

Sunwing Vacations has both extended and broadened its suspension of operations in Cuba, as the popular tourist hub remains cut off from oil shipments.

Operations for all of Sunwing Vacations Group — which includes Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations and Vacances WestJet Quebec — in Cuba from June 20 through Oct. 9 have been cancelled.

The company says flights to the resort town of Varadero and the Cuban island Cayo Coco for the summer season, which were initially supposed to go ahead, are also being put on pause. Flights to those destinations will resume on Oct. 10, Sunwing told CBC News in an emailed statement on Thursday.

The company said its service for Holguin, Santa Clara, Cayo Largo and Cienfuegos will resume on Oct. 25.

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and will provide you with further updates as they become available,” it said.

Sunwing Vacations Group is owned by WestJet Group and operates as its vacation division.

All impacted customers will be contacted with alternative options, according to Sunwing — which said trips to vacation destinations like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Punta Cana and Montego Bay are still available.

Canada’s major airlines first suspended flights to Cuba in February when airports on the Carribean island warned they were running out of jet fuel.

WestJet told CBC News in February it was winding down winter operations to Cuba. The plan at the time was to resume service on April 26.

U.S. President Donald Trump captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and effectively cut off Cuba’s oil supply from the crude-rich country. He later signed an executive order saying countries that sell oil to the Cuban government would face tariffs, further preventing the nation from accessing fuel.

The oil crisis has impacted daily life for locals, who have suffered occasional countrywide blackouts and face soaring prices for basic grocery items.