Nicolás Maduro’s government completed its approval and, on the night of this month, rescinded traffic rules on Iberia, TAP, Avianca, LATAM Colombia, Turkish Airlines and GOL. The argument in favor of the Chavez regime is purely political. The Department of Transportation and the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) accuse the airlines of “recapitulating acts of state terrorism promoted by the United States government and unilaterally suspending commercial air operations since then and since the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”
The companies followed a recommendation from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA, for short in English), which last Saturday issued a warning due to a “potentially dangerous situation” for flying over Venezuelan aircraft. This alert comes in response to an unprecedented military deployment in the Caribbean, which a few days ago was also integrated into the largest US aircraft carrier, which Gerald Ford. Elsewhere, Venezuelan authorities issued a 48-hour ultimatum to these airlines to resume operations, and publicly threatened to cancel the concession.
The regime’s soothing reaction is due to Venezuela, a country already under diplomatic siege, practically falling into international isolation due to the airlines’ decision. Elsewhere, during a meeting with Venezuelan authorities, airline representatives revealed their plans to reschedule suspended flights.
After the warning of the United States, which has currently drawn up a precautionary plan covering until February, recommendations from other countries have been added. Spain’s State Air Security Agency (AESA) has advised companies not to operate in Venezuelan airspace until December 1, and is still adhering to this recommendation.
Between Madrid and Caracas, at least 36 weekly flights are operated with an average of 300 passengers each, which complicates the process of reorganizing the offer at the beginning of the peak season of the Christmas holidays.
Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albarez, confirmed that all Spanish companies will receive government support. Foreigners also reiterated the government’s recommendation not to travel to Venezuela unless necessary, a measure in place since the return of the political crisis after the 2024 elections and now reinforced by the uncertainty caused by the temporary suspension of flights.
The suspension of flights had a major impact on the region. GOL, which operates a regular route between Caracas Airport and Guarulhos in São Paulo, intends to continue canceling its flights until this summer. Others, such as Copa, which has flights from Panama and Bogotá, continue to operate, just like national airlines. Those working in collaboration with Spanish companies, such as Laser, have adopted the procedure recommended by AESA.
For its part, the Colombian authorities reported that at least 1,500 passengers on their routes with Venezuela were affected by the comments that began last weekend. Faced with the diversion of air routes from Europe and South America that usually bypass Venezuela, the Colombian civil airline has strengthened its surveillance and communications systems.