Cubana de Aviación

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Cubana de Aviación

IATA CU	ICAO CUB	Callsign Cubana
Founded		1929
Hubs		José Martí International Airport
Fleet size		38
Destinations		41
Parent company		Cubana de Aviación S.A.
Headquarters		Havana, Cuba
Key people		Ricardo Santillán Miranda (CEO)
Website: http://www.cubana.cu

Cubana de Aviación is Cuba's domestic and international flag carrier airline. Its base is the José Martí International Airport in Havana. The company was founded on October 8th, 1929. It is one of the first ones opening the era of commercial flights. It is a founder and member of the International Association of Air Transportation (IATA), the International Association of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA) and of the International Association of Latin American Air Transportation (AITAL).

Nowadays, Cubana de Aviación S.A is the leading airline of Cuba. It is in charge of passengers' transportation, cargo and mail transportation. It has 32 representatives in other countries and 13 offices all over Cuba.

1 History
2 Services (Scheduled Destinations)
3 Codeshare Airlines
4 Fleet
- 4.1 Passenger Fleet
- 4.2 Cargo Fleet
5 Other facts of interest
6 Incidents and accidents
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
- 9.1 Official websites
- 9.2 Other websites

[edit] History

Cubana was established on 8 October 1929 as Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss, indicating its association with the Curtiss airplane manufacturing company. Services started with Curtiss Robin aircraft, followed by Sikorsky S-38 hydroplanes and Ford Trimotors. Pan American (then known as Pan American Airways System) bought Cubana in 1932, and the word Curtiss was dropped from the airline's name. Twin-engine Lockheed Electra L-10 aircraft joined Cubana's fleet in 1934, followed by the Douglas DC-3 in 1944 and the Curtiss C-46 in 1946. In 1944 the name of the airline was changed to Compañía Cubana de Aviación S.A. A majority share in the airline was then sold to Cuban investors in 1945, with Pan American Airways retaining a 42% stake.

The first international flight was in 1946 to Miami using Douglas DC-3 airplanes. The Miami route, because of its political and economic significance, would later prove to be an important part of Cubana's history. In 1948 a transatlantic route was started between Havana and Madrid (via Bermuda, the Azores and Lisbon) using Douglas DC-4 aircraft. The new route to Europe made Cubana one of the earliest Latin American carriers to establish regular transatlantic service. Later, the DC-4s would be replaced by Lockheed Constellation L-049 and Super Constellation L-1049E aircraft.

In the early 1950s the airline purchased several Lockheed Super "G" Constellation L-1049G from the U.S., and jet-prop Vickers Viscount VV-755 aircraft from Britain to renovate its fleet. The Super Constellations allowed Cubana to start service to New York, Mexico City, and to increase frequencies to Madrid via Bermuda, the Azores and Lisbon. The Viscounts were used for its Miami and Nassau flights, and for its domestic services to Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba. In 1954, the airline became fully Cuban owned when Pan American Airways sold its minority stake.

In 1957, Cubana purchased several Vickers Super Viscount VV-818 and four long-range Bristol Britannia BB-318 aircraft, all jet-props, for its international services (which included Madrid, New York, Mexico City, Miami, Montego Bay, Nassau, Port-au-Prince), and for some of its domestic routes. By the late 1950s, Cubana was the Latin American airline with most experience in the maintenance and operation of British-made jet-prop aircraft. It also had one of the most advanced fleets in Latin America.

The new Super Viscounts and Britannias entered service in 1958 and provided the only jet-prop flights to Cuba at a time when U.S.-flag carriers and all other airlines flew there only with piston-prop aircraft. On 17 January 1959 one of Cubana's new jet-prop Britannias set a record on the New York-Havana route, flying it in 3 hours 28 minutes, the fastest ever for a commercial flight at that time. Cubana's Britannias also began to displace competing airlines on the Mexico City and Madrid services, flying the routes faster while providing excellent onboard service. Similarly, Cubana's jet-prop Viscounts and Super Viscounts on the Miami flights flew the route faster than competing carriers, with excellent inflight service and amenities upon arrival in Havana. The Miami and New York routes thus became a major source of revenue for the airline.

After Fidel Castro came into power in 1959, the airline was nationalised, and the private passenger airline Aerovías Q and private cargo carriers Cuba Aeropostal and Expreso Aéreo Interamericano, were merged into Cubana. At that time, Aerovías Q operated Douglas DC-4 and Curtiss C-46 aircraft (modified for passenger use), while Cuba Aeropostal and Expreso Aéreo Interamericano used Douglas DC-3 and Curtiss C-46 freighters. Aerovías Q had many daily flights from Havana's Columbia Airport (at the time a mixed use civilian-military airport adjacent to the Miramar district) to Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Cuba's Isle of Pines (now named Isla de la Juventud), but its operations were moved to José Martí International Airport as a result of the merger. Cuba Aeropostal had frequent cargo flights to Miami and within Cuba, while Expreso Aéreo Interamericano operated cargo flights to Central America and the Caribbean.

The merger of these airlines with Cubana effectively consolidated Cuban commercial aviation under complete government ownership. Cubana's name was changed to Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviación S.A., to reflect its nationalisation and merger. By early 1961 Cubana had to discontinue its U.S. routes, which included Miami and New York, along with the merged Aerovías Q's and Cuba Aeropostal's services to Florida. Rising tensions between the U.S. and Cuban governments, threats to impound aircraft in retaliation for the nationalisation of American properties, and the breaking of diplomatic relations between the two countries were the main causes for the cancellation of the routes. After 1960, the quality of Cubana's passenger services and technical standards declined markedly. Many of the airline's most experienced crews and technicians went into exile, reducing its pool of skilled personnel and the quality of service. Political problems inside Cuba, obstacles to emigration, and U.S. government policies toward Cuba also led to occasional hijackings.

Despite these problems, in 1961 Cubana expanded transatlantic services to Prague (in addition to its existing Madrid route) using its Bristol Britannia jet-props. This was the first regular air service by a Latin American carrier to Eastern Europe. Cubana also ceded one of its Britannias to Czechoslovak Airlines (CSA) so that it could start its own Prague-Havana flights, code-shared with Cubana's services on that route. Cubana's crews trained CSA personnel in the operation of the Britannias. This allowed CSA to establish its first-ever transatlantic service in 1962.

With the imposition of the US embargo, Cubana had to turn to the Soviet Union to obtain new aircraft, and the first type delivered was the Ilyushin IL-14 in 1961. Later, Ilyushin IL-18, Antonov AN-12, AN-24 and AN-26 aircraft followed. With the arrival of the Ilyushin IL-62, Cubana was able to replace its aging Britannias and start all-jet service to Europe on its already existing routes to Madrid and Prague via Gander, Canada. A fleet of Tupolev TU-154, Ilyushin IL-76, Yakovlev YAK-40 and YAK-42, and the more advanced Ilyushin IL-62M followed later for its transatlantic, Latin American and domestic services. As a result, Cubana became the Latin American carrier with most experience in the operation of Soviet-built aircraft. Agreements with Soviet-bloc nations supported Cubana's technical capabilities, and although passenger service became comparable to that of Soviet-bloc airlines, its quality remained far below pre-1961 standards.

In the 1970s, Cubana also leased Douglas DC-8 aircraft (previously in service with Air Canada) for its Canadian, Caribbean and Guyana services. These aircraft were leased with support from the Canadian government, as part of bilateral trade agreements between Canada and Cuba. They allowed Cubana to gain experience operating U.S.-built jets and made up for delays in deliveries of Soviet-made aircraft. Some of the DC-8s were lost in accidents or sabotage incidents, however, and their lease was terminated in the late 1970s.

In 1975 Cubana's old Bristol Britannias, then held in reserve, were pressed back into service to ferry elite Cuban troops to Angola. The Britannias were modified (with additional fuel tanks placed inside the passenger cabin), to allow non-stop flights from Cuba to Africa and provide greater secrecy. Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez wrote articles in 1976 narrating the role of Cubana's Britannias and its pilots in flying the first contingent of elite Cuban troops, done in complete secrecy, which prevented the invading South African army from occupying Luanda when Angola declared independence.

By early 1980, Cubana flew scheduled services to Sub-Saharan Africa (Luanda), the Middle East and North Africa (Baghdad, Tripoli), Eastern and Western Europe (Prague, East Berlin, Moscow, Madrid, Lisbon), Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Gander), and to various Latin American and Caribbean destinations (Mexico City, Managua, Panama, Lima, Kingston, Barbados, Port of Spain, Georgetown). A route to Vietnam was under consideration at that time but was never started.

After the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cubana was given license to buy or lease aircraft from elsewhere. The company leased medium-range Airbus A320 aircraft from Air Transat of Canada and long-range McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide-bodies from French airline AOM. Cubana also acquired several Fokker F-27 jet-props from Iberia Airlines of Spain, and Sud Aviation ATR-42 jet-prop aircraft to sustain its short-range routes. From 2001, Airbus A330 and occasionally Boeing 747 and Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft were also leased from various European carriers to support its transatlantic services.

With the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Cubana faced the formidable challenge of improving passenger service. Substantial flight delays, sometimes lasting days, and very uneven passenger service marred Cubana's attempts to attract passengers to what was essentially a company operating with Soviet-bloc airline service standards. Despite efforts in the 1990s, the quality of Cubana's passenger service remained far below pre-1961 standards, when it was considered comparable to, or even better than, that of U.S.-flag airlines. To make matters worse, technical deficiencies and low staff morale added to the airline's difficulties as it tried to compete for passengers in Western Europe, Latin America, and Canada. A series of fatal accidents in the 1990s compounded Cubana's troubles, leading to a negative reputation among many travellers. Beyond these problems, occasional hijackings of Cubana's domestic flights also made it difficult to improve the airline's image and its competitive position, compared with other carriers flying to Cuba.

Cubana's Soviet-built aircraft also began to suffer from old age, with spare parts for those planes becoming hard to find. Cubana's management made efforts to renovate its fleet and in 2005 purchased several new long-range Ilyushin IL-96-300 wide-body jets from Russia, to replace the leased Western-built wide-bodies and its aged Soviet-era aircraft. New medium-range Russian Tupolev TU-204 jets were also ordered, along with Antonov AN-148 regional jets.

Ilyushin IL-96-300 and IL-62M aircraft showing Cubana livery, but with specially configured executive cabins and medical facilities, are typically used by Cuban government officials on trips abroad. Those aircraft are never used on commercial flights, and they are maintained and kept under close guard at a military airport near Havana. Cubana's pilots have typically served in the Cuban air force, and are well versed in the operation of multiple types of aircraft.

Since May 1959, the airline has been wholly owned by the Cuban government and its current official name is Cubana de Aviación S.A. (or Cubana Airlines in English). Prior to that time Cubana was a private company, owned by Cuban investors. Those investors were expropriated without compensation when the airline was nationalised, after Fidel Castro came to power. Claims against the expropriation have been filed in U.S. courts, but the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba have prevented negotiations to resolve them.

See Other Facts of Interest for additional information.

[edit] Services (Scheduled Destinations)

Further information: Cubana de Aviación destinations

[edit] Codeshare Airlines

[edit] Fleet

[edit] Passenger Fleet

The Cubana fleet includes the following aircraft (at August 2006):

**Cubana Fleet**
Type	Total	Passengers (First/Business*/Economy)	Notes
Antonov AN-24B	4
Antonov AN-24RV	10	48Y
Antonov An-26	4
Antonov An-148	(3 on order)
ATR 42-500	1
Ilyushin IL-62M	11	8C + 150Y
Ilyushin Il-76MD	1
Ilyushin Il-96-300	2 (3 on order)	18C + 244Y	Cubana took delivery of two Ilyushin IL-96-300 jets in 2005. They were on display at the MAKS 2005 air show in Moscow, Russia in August 2005.
Tupolev TU-154B	3
Tupolev Tu-204	(3 on order)
Yakovlev Yak-40	1
Yakovlev Yak-42	7	120Y

^[1]

[edit] Cargo Fleet

Cubana leases Boeing 727-200F aircraft from the Canadian cargo airline AllCanada Express. A Tupolev TU-204 freighter is on order. Among other types of cargo aircraft used in the past were the Ilyushin IL-76 and the Antonov AN-12.

[edit] Other facts of interest

Cubana was the first Latin American airline to establish scheduled service to Miami, in 1946.
Cubana was one of the first Latin American carriers to start regular transatlantic services, in 1948.
Cubana was the first airline in Latin America to operate jet-prop aircraft, starting with the Vickers Viscount in 1956.
Cubana was the first Latin American carrier to fly jet-prop aircraft across the Atlantic, using Bristol Britannias on its Madrid route, in the late 1950s.
Cubana was the first Latin American airline to fly to Eastern Europe, with scheduled service to Prague starting in 1961, using jet-prop Bristol Britannias.
Cubana was the first Latin American airline to fly Soviet-built aircraft, operating eight different types of short-, medium- and long-range Soviet-made airplanes between 1961 and 1991.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro travelled in one of Cubana's Britannias to Washington and New York in the spring of 1959, his first official trip abroad after taking power. The Britannia Mr. Castro flew in was subsequently christened "Libertad" (freedom).
In September 1960, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro flew in one of Cubana's Bristol Britannias to New York, to address the United Nations General Assembly. The Britannia he travelled in was impounded to allegedly settle debts incurred by the airline with a New York advertising agency. The Britannia's crew then asked for political asylum and remained in the U.S. After the crew of a second Britannia sent to New York also sought political asylum, Mr. Castro returned to Havana in Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev's personal aircraft, an Ilyushin IL-18. The two Britannias were later returned to Cuba.
Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara flew in Cubana's Britannias on official trips abroad, which included Egypt in 1959, the Soviet Union and China in 1960, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina in 1961, Algiers in 1964, and New York to address the United Nations' 1964 General Assembly, among others.
When French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and author Simone de Beauvoir visited Cuba in 1960 they flew there in a Cubana scheduled flight, aboard one of the airline's legendary Bristol Britannias.
In the early 1960s many of Cubana's most experienced pilots and management went into exile. Among them was Cubana's longstanding chief pilot, William Cook, and the airline's former president, Sergio Clark. Pilots who went into exile were not allowed to return or visit Cuba again.
During the early and mid-1960s many aspiring revolutionaries flew to Havana in Cubana's Britannias, for meetings and training. Among them was the East German-Argentine Tamara Bunke (nom de guerre: Tania), who died in Bolivia fighting alongside Che Guevara in 1967.
Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda flew to Havana on Cubana, usually on scheduled flights from Mexico City during the 1960s. When Cubana started a route to Santiago, Chile in 1971, Neruda was one of the first passengers to fly it. Ilyushin IL-62 aircraft were used on that route.
After Cubana started service to Prague in 1961, one of its Britannias was ceded to Czechoslovak Airlines (CSA), so that it could start its own Prague-Havana service as a counterpart to Cubana's. CSA had no long-range aircraft in its fleet, and the use of Cubana's Britannia allowed it to start its first-ever transatlantic service in February 1962. Cubana crews trained CSA personnel in the operation of the Britannia.
Since the 1960s, revolutionary guerrilla fighters from Colombia, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Nicaragua, El Salvador and other nations often flew to Cuba for medical treatment and training, on special Cubana flights. In the 1960s, many of them flew to Cuba from Prague in Cubana's or Czechoslovak Airlines' Britannias, since at that time most Latin American nations had no diplomatic relations with Cuba. The only regular flights available during that time between Cuba and the rest of Latin America were Cubana's from Mexico City, which were closely monitored by Western intelligence agencies.
Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez wrote articles about the role of Cubana's pilots and Bristol Britannia aircraft flying Cuban troops to Angola in 1975, which helped defeat the advance of apartheid South Africa's army into Luanda. García Márquez flew frequently on Cubana, starting in the 1960s.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Cubana's Ilyushin IL-62, IL-18 and IL-76 aircraft frequently carried Cuban military and medical personnel to Ethiopia, Syria, Vietnam, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and other nations, in special flights.
Cubana aircraft typically carry Cuban medical and disaster relief personnel to areas affected by natural disasters throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.
Cuba's growing biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical tourism sectors rely greatly on Cubana's passenger and cargo services.
Cubana is the only major Latin American carrier flying Russian-built airplanes, and in 2005 became the first Latin American airline to operate the Ilyushin IL-96 wide-body jet in its scheduled transatlantic and South American routes.
Cuba's national sports teams usually fly on Cubana to major international events.
In the film The Godfather Part II, when Michael Corleone left Havana he boarded a Cubana aircraft.
The similarly named Kuban Airlines is an unrelated airline based in Krasnodar, Russia.

[edit] Incidents and accidents

Cubana de Aviación has been involved in 43 incidents and accidents between 1950 and 2003 with 544 fatalities. (Note: only fatal accidents are listed before 1990)

[edit] 1951 - 1970

On April 25, 1951, Cubana de Aviacion Flight 493, a Douglas DC-4 on an international scheduled passenger flight from Miami (Miami International Airport) to Havana (Jose Marti International Airport), suffered a mid-air collision with a US Navy Beech SNB-1 Kansan shortly after departure. All 34 passengers and 5 crew members on board and the four crew members on the US Navy aircraft were killed.
On December 6, 1952, a Cubana de Aviación Douglas DC-4 on an international scheduled passenger flight from Bermuda (Bermuda International Airport) to Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) crashed into the sea after takeoff, killing all 32 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The flight had originated in Madrid, with stops in Lisbon, the Azores, and Bermuda.
On November 1, 1958, Cubana de Aviación flight 495, a Vickers Viscount 755D (CU-T603) on a scheduled passenger night flight from Miami (Miami International Airport) to Varadero, Cuba, was hijacked by Cuban revolutionaries. The hijackers' objective was to land near the Sierra Cristal mountains in Eastern Cuba, where 26th of July Movement guerrillas operated. The aircraft unsuccessfully tried to land during the night at the Preston sugar mill's airfield, which was located near the Sierra Cristal. The airfield was unsuited for the Viscount and the aircraft apparently ran out of fuel, crashing into the sea in the Bay of Nipe, breaking apart, and killing 13 of the 16 passengers and all four crew members on board.^[2]
On October 29, 1960, a Cubana de Aviación Douglas DC-3 on a flight from Havana (Jose Marti International Airport), was taken over by nine hijackers and flown to Key West, (Key West International Airport) in Florida. The hijacking resulted in one fatality.
On December 8, 1960, a Cubana de Aviación aircraft was taken over by five hijackers but was deliberately crashed by the pilot. The hijacking resulted in one fatality.
On March 27, 1962, a Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin 14 (CU-T819) on a flight from Santiago de Cuba (Antonio Maceo Airport) to Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) crashed after departure. All of the 18 passengers and 4 crew members on board were killed and the aircraft was written off.
On March 27, 1966, a Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin 18B (CU-T831) on a flight from Santiago de Cuba to Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) was hijacked by the flight engineer. The hijacking resulted in two fatalities.
On February 9, 1967, a Cubana de Aviación Antonov 12BP (CU-T827) on a cargo flight from Havana, (Jose Marti International Airport) to Mexico City, (Benito Juárez International Airport) crashed during approach. All of the 6 passengers and 4 crew members on board were killed and the aircraft was written off.

[edit] 1970 - 1979

On July 11, 1971, a Cubana de Aviación aircraft was hijacked at Cienfuegos, Cuba (Cienfuegos Airport) resulting in one fatality. The two hijackers were taken down and the hijacking lasted less than one day.
On March 18, 1976, a Cubana de Aviación Douglas DC-8-43 (CU-T1200) had a mid-air collision with a Cubana Antonov An-24 (CU-T879) on a training flight near Havana, Cuba. The DC-8 landed safely despite losing the outer portion of a wing, including an engine, while the Antonov 24 crashed killing the five crew members on board.
On 6 October 1976, sabotage brought down Cubana Flight 455, a Douglas DC-8-43 (CU-T1201) on a scheduled passenger flight from Bridgetown, Barbados (Grantley Adams International Airport) to Kingston, Jamaica (Norman Manley International Airport), (the aircraft was enroute from Georgetown, Guyana, to Havana and had made a scheduled stop in Port of Spain, Trinidad, before Barbados). Two bombs were placed on board by individuals allegedly linked to Luis Posada Carriles (a Cuban exile with past CIA connections, then serving as a high-level advisor in Venezuela's secret service), killing all 73 people on board. Among the dead were 24 members of Cuba's national fencing team, who had just been awarded gold medals in the Central American and Caribbean Championship Games.

[edit] 1980 - 1989

On February 3, 1980, a Cubana de Aviación Yakovlev 40 (CU-T1219) crashed while landing at Baracoa (Baracoa Airport), Cuba. There was 1 fatality among the 33 passengers and 4 crew members and the aircraft was written off.
On May 13, 1980, a Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin 14 (CU-T322) on a training flight crashed into the Caribbean at Varadero, Cuba. All 3 crew members were killed and the aircraft was written off.
On January 19, 1985, a Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin 18D (CU-T899) on a scheduled international passenger flight from Havana (Jose Marti International Airport), Cuba to Managua (Augusto Sandino Airport), Nicaragua crashed shortly after take-off. All of the 33 passengers and 5 crew members were killed and the aircraft was written off.
On March 11, 1987, a Cubana de Aviación Antonov 24RV (CU-T1262) on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Nueva Gerona (Rafael Cabrera Airport), Cuba was hijacked. The hijacker was taken down and there was one fatality.
On September 3, 1989, a Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin 62M (CU-T1281) on a non-scheduled international passenger flight from Havana (Jose Marti International Airport), Cuba to Cologne/Bonn (Cologne Bonn Airport), Germany crashed shortly after take-off. All of the 115 passengers and 11 crew members as well as 45 persons on the ground were killed and the aircraft was written off.

[edit] 1990 - 1999

On March 23, 1990, a Cubana de Aviación Yakovlev 40S2 (CU-T1436) on a scheduled passenger flight from Santiago de Cuba (Antonio Maceo Airport), Cuba crashed after the crew aborted the take-off causing the aircraft to overrun the runway. 4 of the 41 passengers but none of the 5 crew members were killed and the aircraft was written off.
On October 24, 1990, a Cubana de Aviación Yakovlev 40S2 (CU-T1202) on a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight from Camagüey (Ignacio Agramonte Airport), Cuba, to Santiago de Cuba (Antonio Maceo Airport), crashed 4 km short of the runway killing 9 of the 24 passengers and 2 of the 7 crew members on board. The aircraft was written off.
On September 14, 1991, a Cubana de Aviación Tupolev 154B-2 (CU-T1227) on an international scheduled passenger flight to Mexico City (Benito Juarez International Airport), Mexico overran the runway upon landing. There were no fatalities among the 100 passengers and 12 crew, but the aircraft was written off.
On July 11, 1997, a Cubana de Aviación Antonov An-24 (CU-T1262) on a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Santiago (Antonio Maceo Airport), Cuba to Havana (Jose Marti International Airport), Cuba crashed into the Caribbean off the southeastern coast of Cuba killing the 39 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The aircraft was written off.
On August 29, 1998, a Cubana de Aviación Tupolev 154M (CU-T1264) on a scheduled passenger flight from Quito (Mariscal Sucre Airport), Ecuador to Guayaquil (Simon Bolivar Airport), Ecuador crashed after the crew aborted the take-off with only 800 metres left of the runway. The aircraft overran the runway before coming to a stop. 56 of the 77 passengers and the entire crew of 14 were killed as well as 10 people on the ground, and the aircraft was written off.
On December 21, 1999, a Cubana de Aviación McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (F-GTDI) on lease from AOM French Airlines on an international non-scheduled passenger flight from Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) suffered a landing accident at Guatemala City (La Aurora Airport), Guatemala. The aircraft overran runway 19 and continued down a steep slope before coming to rest in a residential area. 8 of the 296 passengers and 8 of the 18 crew as well as 2 people on the ground were killed and the aircraft written off.
On December 25, 1999, a Cubana de Aviación Yakovlev 42D (CU-T1285) on a scheduled passenger flight from Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) crashed while on approach to Valencia (Arturo Michelena International Airport), Venezuela. All of the 10 passengers and 12 crew members onboard were killed and the aircraft was written off.

[edit] 2000 -

On March 31, 2003, a Cubana de Aviación Antonov An-24 (CU-T1294) on a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Nueva Gerona (Rafael Cabrera Airport) was forced to fly to Key West, Florida by a man with hand grenades. The plane had to stop in Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) for refueling. In Havana at least 26 of the 40 passengers and 6 crew members in the plane escaped or were released. The aircraft then proceeded on to Key West (Key West International Airport) where the FBI awaited the plane.
On June 14, 2003 a Cubana de Aviación Antonov 24RV (CU-T1295) on an international scheduled passenger flight was damaged after a landing accident at Nueva Gerona (Rafael Cabrera Airport). A hydraulic failure rendered all systems dependent on hydraulic pressure inoperable. The crew were able to manually extend the landing gear but without flaps or brakes the aircraft was unable to stop on the runway. There were no fatalities among the 48 passengers and four crew members, but the aircraft was written off.