A long-haul Ilyushin IL-96-300 operated by Cuba's state airline has made repeated, largely opaque flights between Havana and Caracas in recent days, fueling indications that the Cuban government is quietly repatriating personnel deployed in Venezuela following the U.S. operation that led to the capture of authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro.
The same aircraft that returned wounded Cuban personnel to Havana after the January 3 raid flew again to Caracas on Tuesday, marking its fourth round trip in five days, according to reporting by 14ymedio.
The plane, refurbished in Russia two years ago and capable of carrying up to 400 passengers, has completed at least six such flights in the past 15 days, suggesting that as many as 2,500 Cubans may have been transported—nearly 10 percent of the estimated Cuban contingent in Venezuela.
A source at Havana's José Martí International Airport told 14ymedio that the flights have been handled with strict secrecy. "They always park it on a remote runway, away from view, and civilian staff are usually kept away," the source said, adding that when civilians are involved, they are selected for their political loyalty.
The IL-96 first flew to Venezuela on January 5, two days after the U.S. military operation, though the flight did not appear on public tracking sites. The aircraft frequently flies with its transponder off and is typically used for sensitive missions, including transporting senior officials.
A January 7 flight aborted its landing and turned back after circling near Colombia's coast, a move later attributed by specialists to airspace restrictions rather than surveillance activity. Subsequent flights proceeded without incident.
The movements come as Cuba faces an acute fuel crisis following Washington's decision to halt Venezuelan oil shipments. Cuba requires roughly 100,000 barrels of oil per day but had already seen deliveries fall sharply before the cut, according to experts cited by The New York Times. President Donald Trump said the flow of oil and funds to Cuba would end entirely, though U.S. officials have signaled that limited supplies from Mexico may continue.
Caracas publicly reaffirmed its alliance with Havana through a statement back on January 12, calling the relationship "historic" and rooted in "brotherhood, solidarity, cooperation and complementarity:"
"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ratifies its historic position in the framework of relations with the Republic of Cuba, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, the free exercise of self-determination and national sovereignty"
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