Venezuela has told international airlines to resume flights to the country within 48 hours or risk being stripped of their clearance to fly there altogether.
Several airlines suspended their flights to Venezuela after the US aviation regulator warned on Friday of “heightened military activity” in the area.
The warning came as the US ramped up pressure on the Venezuelan government, sending the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the southern Caribbean as part of a larger military build-up.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has warned Venezuela’s aviation authority that rescinding airlines’ clearance would only isolate the country further.
Venezuela’s aviation authority (Inac), which reports to the country’s ministry of transport, issued the ultimatum on Monday.
Among the airlines affected are Spain’s Iberia, Air Europa and Plus Ultra, Brazil’s Gol, Chile’s Latam, Colombia’s Avianca, Portugal’s TAP and Turkish Airlines.
All of them – except Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Airlines, which had already stopped flights in September – halted their flights to Venezuela after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a “Notice to Air Missions” on Friday.
In it, the FAA advised flight operators “to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetía flight information region at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in and around Venezuela”.
Maiquetía is the location of Venezuela’s main international airport, serving the capital, Caracas.
While a number of airlines, including Panama’s Copa and Venezuela’s state-owned Conviasa, have continued to fly in and out of Maiquetía, the suspensions have severely curtailed the number of international flights.
Credit: bbc.com
