Sounds like Italian SOP actually. When I flew on two consecutive ACMI contracts for Italian Operators out of MXP and FCO, our flights would frequently change at very short notice, even on the day of departure, instead of Varadero we would fly to Punta Cana (with a corresponding scramble to d/h a crew for the return in there...). Sometimes these "substitute" flights would operate at the same time as the original flight, with no mention of the original flight on terminal monitors. If asked what would happen with the pax for say Varadero, invariably the answer would be "is a no problemo".
Go figure.
But still love the country.