Several airlines have canceled flights to Venezuela amid heightened tensions with the U.S. and an apparent military buildup in the region.
CBS News reported Monday that Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Chile’s LATAM, Colombia’s Avianca, Brazil’s GOL, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Airlines have canceled flights to and from Venezuela. Turkish Airlines has suspended service to the country through Friday.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ended all nonstop passenger flights between the U.S. and Venezuela in 2019, but operators are still allowed to overfly the country.
United, American, and Delta confirmed that they have already stopped flying over Venezuela.
The flight suspensions came just days after the FAA issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) warning about increased security risks in the area.
“Operators are advised to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetia Flight Information Region (SVZM FIR) at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela,” the notice said. “Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground.”
The Maiquetia Flight Information Region covers Venezuela and parts of the southern Caribbean.
Relations between Washington and Caracas have been strained for decades, but they took a turn for the worse in September when the U.S. military began bombing alleged drug vessels departing from Venezuela and Colombia.
The Trump administration has also ordered U.S. Navy ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, to the region to exert pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The White House maintains that Maduro and the highest levels of the Venezuelan regime are involved in drug trafficking and “narcoterrorism.”
Panama’s Copa Airlines, Spain’s Air Europa and PlusUltra, and Venezuela’s LASER are continuing to operate in Venezuelan airspace for now, according to CBS News.
