China’s flag carrier scrambles to fly stranded passengers out of fuel-starved Cuba

Dozens of Air China passengers stranded in Cuba by successive cancellations were due to fly out on an extra flight on Monday, as a US oil embargo deepens the island’s energy crisis. The disruption has hit one of Cuba’s last direct air links to Europe, the Chinese carrier’s twice-weekly route between Beijing and Havana via Madrid.Air China added flight CA590 for travellers whose regular CA866 service was cancelled before October 10, the Chinese embassy said in a notice on Sunday. The flight was due to leave at 10.30pm local time, and seats were limited, it said.