Venezuela urges airlines to resume flights before Wednesday noon

Caracas.- Venezuela warned this Tuesday that the airlines that canceled their flights to and from the country after the US warning about a “potentially dangerous situation in the region” have until 12:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Wednesday to resume their operations, because otherwise their “permanent flight” permits will be revoked.

“The Venezuelan State has taken a position with the airlines and will take the corresponding actions. They have less than 24 hours left,” said a source from the Ministry of Transportation.

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The National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), attached to that state portfolio, gave airlines a period of 48 hours to resume their operations, a measure that the organization informed the legal representatives of these companies in a meeting on Monday and that came into effect at noon, local time. The Venezuelan government and representatives of airlines in the country met on Monday to coordinate actions to ensure the continuity of travel, after several companies canceled their flights following the international warning issued by the United States to “exercise extreme caution” when flying over Venezuelan territory.

On Monday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which includes 300 airlines worldwide, reported that Venezuelan authorities gave airlines 48 hours to resume flights under threat of losing air traffic rights in the South American country.

This Tuesday, IATA clarified that the companies that could lose their traffic rights in Venezuela, after receiving a warning from the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), are those that have suspended their flights. From Saturday until this Tuesday, several airlines have canceled their flights, such as the Spanish Air Europa, Plus Ultra and Iberia, as well as the Portuguese TAP, the Colombian Avianca, the Brazilian Gol, the South American Latam and the Turkish Turkish Airlines. Copa, Wingo, Boliviana de Aviación, and Satena airlines maintain their active operations. Venezuelan airlines Laser and Estelar announced on Tuesday the suspension of their flights to Madrid until December 1, following notices issued by the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA). On Monday, at the request of AESA, the Spanish Enaire published a notice in which it recommends that Spanish civil air operators not carry out any flights in the airspace within the Maiquetía FIR (SVZM), which covers the entire Venezuelan territory and extends to the Caribbean Sea. These measures were announced after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a notice this Friday urging commercial flights to “exercise extreme caution” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean, amid Washington’s military deployment in the area to pressure the government of Nicolás Maduro.