Caracas.- Venezuela expects to resume some commercial flights soon on a parallel runway at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, the country’s main airport, which was affected by the devastating earthquakes on June 24, acting president Delcy Rodríguez reported this Monday.
The president, who inspected the recovery work at the airport, announced an “immediate plan to resume” commercial airline operations as soon as possible, without specifying when they expect the resumption to take place.
His statements were broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), which showed images of the machinery deployed on the runway affected by the earthquakes, which also caused serious damage to the terminal facilities, located in the devastated region of La Guaira (north, adjacent to Caracas).
On the same day as the earthquakes, the head of state announced the closure of the airport, and since then several airlines have moved their operations to the Venezuelan city of Valencia, capital of the state of Carabobo (north), 172 kilometers away from Caracas by vehicle.
Rodríguez announced last Saturday an international alliance for the recovery of the Maiquetía International Airport, although he did not provide details about the plan, which should be ready this week.
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Likewise, he said that a recovery process for the affected airports will begin, without mentioning which others suffered damage, and that all infrastructure will be addressed.
On June 29, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) spoke about restoring regular operations at the main Venezuelan airport as soon as possible, even with temporary infrastructure, and offered the Government technical support to do so.
The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes have left at least 3,535 dead and 16,740 injured, as well as 17,854 people homeless, according to the official report updated this Monday, which maintains the number of affected buildings at 856 and collapsed ones at 190.
