34,000 people affected by suspended Iberia, Air Europa and Plus Ultra flights

In Spain, the total number of people affected will exceed 34,000 passengers, according to calculations made by this newspaper based on data provided by Iberia, Air Europa and Plus Ultra.

Additionally, Venezuela stripped these airlines of their flight rights in retaliation for the suspension of their operations. This is why, for example, Plus Ultra has not set a deadline for maintaining its canceled routes.

The airline offers four weekly flights in each direction (three from Madrid and one from Tenerife to Caracas).

A total of 32 flights in December, leaving a total of 9,500 affected. The connections canceled in November have already stranded 2,400 travelers.

But the volume increases more in the case of Iberia than, at least, He will not return to the country until December 31.

This decision will affect 12,000 travelers and result in the suspension of a total of 40 flights (round trip). Suspensions which are added to the 3,000 passengers affected by the ten cancellations in November.

In the case of Air Europa, the suspension is until December 12. In total, 16 flights (round trip) will not take off, affecting more than 4,500 passengers.

However, the company says it continues to monitor the situation and depending on the circumstances, it will consider extending its decision not to travel to the country.

The cancellations of these three airlines alone (between November 22 and December) have affected and will affect more than 34,000 travelers.

But there are others two Venezuelan airlines, Estelar and Laser (partner of Plus Ultra) which operate the Madrid-Caracas route. They also don’t steal or notify users on time. The number of people affected is unknown.

For this reasonmany Venezuelans go to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport daily looking for news about flights back to their countryas this newspaper learned.

The vast majority of airlines offer ticket refunds or flight changes. The problem is that this alternative does not bring hundreds of Venezuelans back to their country.

He Nicolas Maduro’s regime ordered a special plan for the return of stranded Venezuelans in other countries.

It also aimed to facilitate exit routes for those who must travel outside the territory. However, it doesn’t appear to have launched yet.

Caution

On November 22, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urged commercial flights to “exercise caution” flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean ahead of what he considers “a potentially dangerous situation in the region.

This caused many airlines to suspend flights. In Spain, Iberia, Air Europa and Plus Ultra have done so.

And in the rest of the world others have followed the same path: Portuguese TAP, Colombian Avianca, Brazilian Gol, Chilean Latam and Turkish Turkish Airlines.

Venezuela did not like this decision. The Venezuelan government gave 48 hours so that airlines which had suspended their flights return to the country.

At failing which, he withdrew flight rights to Iberia, TAP, Avianca, Latam Colombia, Turkish Airlines and Golaccording to the Gazette of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

It then added two other airlines to this list: Air Europa and Plus Ultra.

IATA, the association which brings together many of the world’s airlines, has already warned of the negative effects of removing flight rights.

“This decision will further reduce connectivity with the country, which is already one of the least connected in the region,” they noted.

Since then, there are virtually no international flights connecting Venezuela.

Currently, only Copa, Wingo, Boliviana de Aviación and Satena maintain operations in the country. -which fly to destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean-, as well as the local companies Avior and Conviasa (State).