The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States has warned airlines of potential dangers when flying over Venezuelan airspace. As a result, several international airlines have canceled flights departing from and heading to Venezuela starting from Saturday, the 22nd of November. Additional airlines are set to cancel flights to Venezuela starting from Monday, the 24th of November.
According to reports from Reuters, based on information from Flightradar24 and the Simon Bolivar Maiquetia International Airport located in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Brazilian airline Gol, Colombian airline Avianca, also known as Colombian Airlines, and TAP Air Portugal canceled flights departing from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on Saturday.
The Civil Aeronautics of Colombia stated in a release that due to the deteriorating security situation and increased military activities in the Maiquetia region, there are potential risks associated with flying in the area.
TAP Air Portugal confirmed the cancellation of flights scheduled for this Saturday and next Tuesday. The decision was made based on information released by the US aviation authorities indicating that the safety conditions in Venezuelan airspace cannot be guaranteed.
Iberia, the Spanish national airline, also announced the cancellation of flights to Caracas starting from next Monday until further notice. However, the airline’s flight from the Venezuelan capital to Madrid scheduled for this Saturday has not been canceled.
A spokesperson from Iberia informed Reuters that the company will assess the situation to determine when to resume flights to Venezuela.
On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an aviation alert stating that the security situation in and around Venezuela continues to deteriorate, with a significant increase in military activities posing risks to all altitude flights. The alert emphasized that the threat is not limited to cruising altitudes and could impact take-offs, landings, and taxiing.
The FAA alert is valid for 90 days and while it does not ban flying over Venezuela, US airlines are required to notify the FAA at least 72 hours in advance before planning to fly through the country’s airspace.