Tensions between Venezuela and the United States have now spilled directly into the commercial aviation sphere.
Venezuela Bans Six International Airlines
Venezuela has revoked operating rights for six international airlines that suspended flights to the country after a United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warning about the safety of flying in Venezuelan airspace.
The carriers affected are:
- Avianca
- Gol
- Iberia
- LATAM Colombia
- TAP Air Portugal
- Turkish Airlines
Each of these airlines halted service to Venezuela after the FAA advised operators to exercise extreme caution due to a worsening security situation and increased military activity in and around Venezuelan airspace.
In response, Venezuela’s civil aviation authority issued an ultimatum giving airlines 48 hours to resume flights or lose their permits. Six carriers did not comply within that timeframe and the government proceeded to revoke their operating rights, which effectively bans them from serving Venezuela for the time being.
Authorities in Caracas accused the airlines of joining what they described as actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States. The affected carriers have framed their suspensions as safety-driven decisions that follow international risk assessments rather than political instructions.
Impact On Connectivity
The ban further reduces Venezuela’s already limited international connectivity. These six airlines provide or have provided links between Venezuela and key markets in Europe and Latin America, including Spain, Portugal, Colombia, Brazil and Turkey, all of which are home to significant Venezuelan diaspora communities.
Some foreign airlines that suspended flights have not had their permits revoked. Air Europa and Plus Ultra, for example, have halted operations but retain authorization to serve Venezuela, which may allow for a quicker restart if conditions improve. By contrast, the six banned carriers are now formally blocked from operating in the market unless Venezuela reverses its decision.
Venezuela is not completely isolated. Panama-based Copa Airlines and its low cost affiliate Wingo continue to operate flights to and from the country, and domestic and regional carriers maintain limited links to nearby destinations. Even so, overall capacity has fallen, and passengers who relied on direct connections to Europe and South America now face longer routings, fewer choices, and higher fares.
From an airline perspective, the move highlights the difficult balance between operational safety and political risk. Carriers that chose to follow a safety directive from one regulator now face punitive action from another state, with no clear timetable for a resolution that would satisfy both sides.
CONCLUSION
Venezuela’s decision to revoke operating rights for Iberia, TAP, Avianca, LATAM Colombia, Gol, and Turkish Airlines turns temporary safety-driven suspensions into an open-ended ban tied directly to geopolitical tension. The development further constrains the Venezuelan market, complicates travel for citizens and diaspora communities and underscores how quickly political disputes can sever air links that many passengers depend on.
For now, Venezuela remains accessible only through a shrinking list of carriers and hubs, and any restoration of service by the banned airlines will depend both on an improved security assessment in Venezuelan airspace and on a political decision in Caracas to welcome those airlines back.
Finally, an editorial note. If we’ve learned anything from the Iraq debacle, it should be to demand clear and convincing proof before the US launches another war. No, sorry, I’m not going to take your word for it that the Maduro regime is directing illegal drugs into the USA to a degree that justifies the invasion of Venezuela and the power vacuum that will come by toppling its dictator. Prove it…show us the evidence that Maduro and his henchmen are responsible and seek more disproportionate responses than blowing up ships and fomenting regime change with no plan to secure the peace afterwards.
Douchebag Dave Edwards, proving with your every (too frequent) comment that your nickname is absolutely accurate and completely deserved and that you have nothing better to do with your pathetic waste-of-oxygen life than to post abhorrent and revolting comments here over and over again every single day. Thank you for confirming again that you and other MAGAs are stupid hateful racist cretins. Trolling or not, the extent and frequency of your comments are indicative of severe psychiatric and/or addiction problems. Your insults, undoubtedly projection, speak much more to your lack of character than to anyone you attack. You should crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from you SHPOS.
That comment got through, but he’s banned. You can remove him from your retorts.
I’m not sure if I want to know what was the comment that got him banned lol
He’ll be back under a different name son enough I am sure.
Oh, I left the comment –
https://liveandletsfly.com/ups-2976-pilot/
Foolish as always, but it really crossed the line into despicable and personal. I can take it – but no one will denigrate 121pilot or Kyle like that.
Finally. Thank you 🙂
My apologies, I hadn’t read the post hereby banning DDE, never would have posted this if I had.
THANK YOU. Being person of my word, as promised, you’ll not see another peep (along those lines) from me. This blog is a much better place, one that befits your (Matthew’s) class and intelligence and integrity and wonderful parenting skills, without gratuitous, nasty, vile, abhorrent comments from beings like Dave Edwards & Chi Hsuan & Micheal Mainello & Walter Barry & Derek/derek. While Aaron may well be correct (be back under a different name soon enough) it’s certain that all rational civil readers hope that day is a long time coming and if/when it does arrive it will be too soon.
Re: “… crossed the line into despicable and personal. I can take it – but no one will denigrate 121pilot or Kyle like that.” Good for you for standing by your associates, and YOU should NOT have had to take it (or anything else). Again, not because you disagree(ed) with he/she/they/it, but because he/she/they/it crossed many lines of many other people many times previously.
Thanks again.
BREAK
“Now back to our regularly schedule programming.”
(Sorry again, identical post on other blog page is an incorrect duplicate posting. Was so excited to read the information that I completely confused myself.)
Wow, progress! It’s a Black Friday miracle!
Back on topic. What is happening in Venezuela , I can’t answer because there is no transparency. The lack of truthfulness in this administration can not be trusted. Trump today pardoned the guy from Honduras that was sentenced for 40 + years for cocaine trafficking. So please don’t try to convince me killing seventy people is to stop drug trafficking.
100% agreed.
It is extra concerning that the President pursues a Putin-or-Xi-like ‘special military operation’ without Congressional approval… it’s both giving those actual dictators a pass on their illegal aggression in Ukraine and soon-to-be Taiwan (unless effectively deferred). So far, it feels like the only people pushing back (in Asia at least, is Japan’s new PM, which is a breath of fresh air, honestly.)
It is extra concerning that the President pursues a Putin-or-Xi-like ‘special military operation’ without Congressional approval… it’s both giving those actual dictators a pass on their illegal aggression in Ukraine and soon-to-be Taiwan (unless effectively deferred). So far, it feels like the only people pushing back (in Asia at least, is Japan’s new PM, which is a breath of fresh air, honestly.) Feels very ‘wag the dog’ for the US to do any of this. Also, feels very ‘dumb.’
Not sure why duplicates. Sorry.
Here’s where I struggle, and I’m by most accounts, a crazy liberal… The Maduro regime is bad. I think the world would be better off with a new government in charge in Venezuela. There is absolutely no reason Venezuela should be poor. I agree toppling Maduro and leaving a power vacuum is the wrong solution, but they need to go. How do you do that? The Venezuelan people are actually suffering.
I agree that Maduro is bad and the most prosperous country (economically) in Venezuela has become the most pathetic.
But I don’t think it is up to the USA to practice regime change in other nations, full stop, unless it has been hit first or faces imminent harm. I’m not certain the allegations of Madruo running such a syndicate are true. I think the American people deserve more evidence.
I agree we deserve evidence, and I’m also OK with staying out of it. But it raises a question, what do you do when a failed state regime has been in place for a decade. Isn’t intervention in Venezuela a bit different than Iraq? Should Colombia take the lead? Brazil? I think most of the Western Hemisphere (and the Venezuelan people) would benefit from the end of the Maduro regeime.
Many people in many countries are suffering. Why is the US only choosing to deal with Venezuela? Because the US will be benefitting from it in some way.
Correction.. because Trump and his family will be benefiting in some way.
While this is a major inconvenience for those needing to travel to and from Venezuela I am grateful for President Trump trying to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the greatest country to ever exist in civilization. These drugs have destroyed American families, caused mental illness , violence , and much more damage to our great nation since the 1960s. It’s time to get drugs off the streets and get people the help they need. Crime continues to plummet in the US against the will of many officials in blue states. Venezuelan airspace is closed. The leader of the world has said so.
You must be proud. Yesterday trump announced he is granting a full pardon to former president Hernandez ( Honduras) for running a drug cartel that brought 400 tons of cocaine into the US. He received a 45 year sentence. And you believe trump wants to stop drug trafficking? Stop spreading this propaganda.
He is point blank executing citizens of other countries while freeing actual drug dealers, and you are grateful for this? He has doing absolutely nothing on crime in this country and doesn’t care about any of us. The truly heartbreaking part is that he has you convinced otherwise.
He should be tried for war crimes and be locked up for the rest of his pathetically short life. LOCk HIM Up