Operations resume at Santiago de Cuba airport

The basic conditions for the resumption of operations at the Antonio Maceo Grajales International Airport in Santiago de Cuba were assured on October 31, two days after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in eastern Cuba.

This was the twelfth major hurricane to hit Cuba in the last 25 years, and although no lives were lost, the damage left in its wake was severe, including at the airport itself, where the force of the winds and rains damaged several facilities, as reported by Luis Roberto Rosés, first deputy minister of Transport.

In a message, Transport Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila noted that the recovery of the airport terminal represented a “tough job for everyone, recovering damaged structures, eliminating obstacles, restoring technological systems,” and ensuring the arrival of the first flight with humanitarian aid on October 30.

Later, other flights arrived, including one from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with food and hygiene kits, and a Copa Airlines flight from Panama carrying 20 tons of humanitarian aid from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The management of national companies and the Cuban Aviation Corporation supported the restoration efforts at Santiago airport by sending brigades of technicians, installers, specialists, and managers from different entities and airports across the country, with resources to restore all the damaged facilities as quickly as possible.

In August, it was reported that the airport is preparing for a complete renovation of its terminals, which will double its current capacity. The project is scheduled to take place in 2026 and 2027, without interrupting operations, as measures will be taken to minimize disruption to passengers.