MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

So far, 7 airlines halt services to and from Venezuela

Venezuelan carriers are keeping business as usual

Seven international airlines suspended their connections with Venezuela over the weekend after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a security warning concerning potential risks in the South American country's airspace.

First to stop their scheduled flights on Saturday were Iberia (Spain), TAP (Portugal), Avianca (Colombia), Caribbean (Trinidad), GOL (Brazil), and LATAM (which has subsidiaries in Chile, Brazil, Colombia, and elsewhere).

The measure followed a safety Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) issued by the FAA on Friday, which cautioned civil aircraft operators about a “potentially dangerous” situation. The FAA alert cited the “deterioration of the security situation and increased military activity in or around Venezuela.” This increase in military readiness, observed since September, is linked to a US military deployment in the Caribbean.

The FAA advised operators to ”exercise caution when flying in the Maiquetía flight information region (FIR SVZM) at any altitude,” warning that the threats could pose a risk to aircraft during overflight, arrival, and departure phases, as well as to aircraft on the ground.

The NOTAM specifically highlighted an increase in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference in the Maiquetía FIR. Such interference —caused by jammers and spoofers— can affect critical communication, navigation, surveillance, and safety equipment up to 250 nautical miles away.

The US agency also noted that for the past two months, Venezuela has conducted multiple military exercises and ordered mass mobilization. While Caracas has not expressed intent to attack civil aviation, the FAA noted that the military possesses advanced combat aircraft and weapon systems capable of reaching civil aircraft operating altitudes.

The Maiquetía FIR (SVZM), which is managed by Venezuela, covers all Venezuelan land and extends into the Caribbean Sea. US operators are already prohibited from flying to/from Venezuela under a 2019 order, and must now provide a 72-hour prior notice to the FAA before flying through the airspace covered by the NOTAM.

Amid the security warning, US President Donald Trump told Fox News that he plans to hold a conversation with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro “in the not too distant future.”

On Sunday, Turkish Airlines joined the list of carriers halting services to and from Venezuela in response to the US alert.

Meanwhile, Latam Airlines Colombia confirmed in a statement that “the priority is the safety of its passengers and crews. For this reason, the airline decided to cancel flights on the Bogotá-Caracas-Bogotá route on November 23 and 24 as a preventive measure.”

In this scenario, Venezuelan airlines are keeping their schedules unchanged.

The Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services (Conviasa), the country's flag carrier, issued a statement emphasizing that all its flights “are being executed with absolute normalcy.”

Similar confirmations of normal operations were issued by Estelar Latinoamérica C.A., Avior Airlines, Rutaca Airlines, Turpial Airlines, and LASER Airlines.

Reports that major international airlines, such as Copa Airlines of Panama and Turkish Airlines, were also maintaining their regular flight itineraries to Venezuela were quickly rendered untrustworthy.

“There should be normal flights to all Latin American countries from Latin America and the world. Countries should not be blocked, because that blocks people, and that should be considered a crime against humanity,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro insisted on Sunday. No country has the right to interfere in the affairs of another, he added as Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority activated security protocols in response to the FAA's warning.