PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Regional carrier, Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) has suspended its commercial service to Havana, Cuba, with immediate effect, until further notice.

In a statement on Tuesday, the carrier  said the decision followed correspondence from the Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba (IACC) on the country’s latest protocols and restrictions for inbound commercial flights in order to combat COVID-19.

As a result, the airline said people with bookings to Cuba are asked to contact the airline’s reservations sales and service centre.

CAL started its Port of Spain to Havana route in 2018, followed by Kingston to Havana in 2019 and Georgetown to Havana in 2020.

The airline says it has had to do major restructuring since the pandemic, especially since Trinidad and Tobago’s borders have been closed since March 2020.

This included temporary job and salary cuts. It also sought a government guarantee for a US$65 million loan to keep it afloat in the second half of last year – despite reporting a profit in 2019 for the first time in years.

Cuba has reported 12,740 COVID-19 cases as of January 4, including 147 deaths.