IFCO/Pastors for Peace regrets to announce that due to the exorbitant cost of airfare to Cuba this summer we have had to postpone our 29th Caravan to Cuba this July. We are working with our Cuban partners to reschedule the Caravan for November 2018 and will travel to Eastern Cuba visiting to Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo.
The reason for the postponement is largely due to the impact of the US blockade on Cuba particularly as it relates to the availability of airplane equipment. For decades it has been enormously difficult for Cuba to acquire new aircraft due to the fact that the vast bulk of the world’s aircraft are either made in the US (Boeing) or use US made spare parts (Airbus). Consequently, to supplement its fleet, Cuba has had to rent aircraft from companies in other countries that have few, if any, dealings with the US.
At times this has meant that there are less airline seats available. That is what we encountered this summer, which is also a peak holiday season for many Cubans who want to travel home to visit family. Furthermore, in typical “market-driven” form other airline carriers took advantage of the situation causing an astronomical price hike in the cost of plane tickets.
The bottom line is that we simply could not secure enough seats for our caravanistas this summer. That is why we were forced to postpone this year’s caravan and are now making plans to travel in November.
IFCO/Pastors for Peace will continue its annual challenge to the US government’s economic blockade of Cuba and their punitive travel restrictions. We encourage friends of Cuba to join us on this historic Friendshipment Caravan project as we continue to work to end the blockade once and for all.
Gail Walker
Executive Director
|
|
