The decaying Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas provides a window into the sad reality of the life and times of Venezuela.
I’ve talked before about the sad state of affairs in Venezuela…a once-leading nation in Latin America that has disintegrated into a dangerous banana republic.
I’d rather walk the streets of Mogadishu, Sana’a, or Aleppo than Caracas, where murder and mugging is commonplace and hyperinflation means most Venezuelans have trouble even obtaining food staples like rice and bread.
A fascinating story (in Spanish) shares how Caracas Airprot is rapidly falling apart:
- Airport is in a state of dissrepair
- Most airlines have cancelled service
- Security cameras no longer work
- Jet fuel is contaminated
- Passengers robbed, one killed last year on airport premises
- Airport staff robbed as they leave the airport at night
The latest problem: theft of artwork.
Passengers are pulling up tile pieces of the mural by Cruz Diez de Maiquetía as souvenirs as they leave the country. This iconic mural in the international terminal covers floors and walls. Over the last few months, huge chunks of the mural have gone missing, a hallmark of the airport. Pictures here.
The airport that once had robust service around the world and was even served by Concorde, now cannot even protect its artwork.
CONCLUSION
But there is some hope. While some Venezuelans admit to stealing pieces from the mural, they describe it as a political move. As thousands flee the country in hopes of a better life elsewhere, most hope to one day return to their homeland. When they do, they will piece back the mural, a sign of restoration.
top image ironically taken from the airport’s website, which is no longer online
I wonder how much longer Air France, Turkish and TAP will last in CCS. Lufthansa, Delta, Air Canada and United have all pulled out.
Simon Bolivar International Airport has been a dangerous place for travelers to arrive in for about 20 years now. And, the journey from Maiquetia to Caracas has been a dangerous one for quite some time (I have experience in what CAN happen during that journey). That this is a dangerous place in which to disembark is nothing new (contrary to what you may think based on media accounts). What is new now is that the rot has infected the airport itself. In the past, rampant danger awaited you outside the doors of the terminal. People were kidnapped by phony taxi drivers outside of the facility. But the bad guys needed to entice you off-site before robbing you. The airport itself had a feeling of normalcy – once you were past security. Now, even that is falling apart.
Venezuela should be a cautionary tale for all of us as to what can happen when you misguidedly decide to listen to hucksters (first Chavez, now Maduro).
I blame the American imperialists for this.
Yes Nicholas! Totally agree. Americans trying to unjustly influence Latino America has caused us great horrors, including this most recent tragedy. I have no doubt the hyperinflation and shortages of food are due to covert operations of the CIA in conjunction with rebels.
Thanks for the laugh.
Nick, if this keeps up, you may have to drive a taxi again!
Sorry, I’ve experienced some problems in the airport which led me to pay a lot of USD because of missed flights and hotels. Do you know who any email or contact of the airport to ask for a refund?
thank you in advance
Good joke!
“I’d rather walk the streets of Mogadishu, Sana’a, or Aleppo than Caracas, where murder and mugging is commonplace and hyperinflation means most Venezuelans have trouble even obtaining food staples like rice and bread”
Note tbat Mogadishu has more murder and mugging than Caracas, Aleppo has more murder and Sana’a has significant military clashes (as does Aleppo and sometimes MOG). I’m not sure why you’d want to walk the streets of clearly more dangerous cities? Also note that a bunch of Venezuelan air staff had to go to Kabul to get murdered by the Taliban around the time you penned this. There’s this strange fashion of massively overhyping Latin American locations for violence. A lot of people do it.
Those places aren’t exactly well supplied with food and the like either!