Several international airlines have suspended their flights to Venezuela after the United States warned carriers of increasing military activity around the country and a potential security risk in the region’s airspace.
Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Chile’s LATAM, Colombia’s Avianca, Brazil’s GOL, and Caribbean Airlines from Trinidad and Tobago all cancelled flights on Saturday, according to Marisela de Loaiza, head of the Venezuelan Airlines Association, who spoke to AFP. TAP said its decision was directly tied to the US aviation notice, which stated that safety conditions in Venezuelan airspace “are not guaranteed”. Iberia announced its suspension would remain in effect until further notice.
Other airlines, including Panama’s Copa Airlines, Spain’s Air Europa and PlusUltra, Turkish Airlines and Venezuela’s LASER, continue to operate flights for now.
The cancellations come amid rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas. The US has deployed troops and the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, framing the move as an anti-narcotics mission. Venezuela has rejected that explanation, accusing Washington of seeking to destabilise or remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
US forces have carried out more than 20 strikes on what they describe as drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing over 80 people. Critics argue the campaign violates both international law and US domestic legal limits.
The Trump administration recently increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50m and labelled the Venezuelan organisation known as the “Cartel de los Soles” a terrorist group, accusing Maduro of leading it — without offering evidence.
President Donald Trump has offered conflicting comments on whether the US might intervene militarily in Venezuela. He said earlier this month that he did not believe the two countries were heading for war, but when asked if Maduro’s time in power was ending, he responded, “I would say yeah.” Days later he said Washington may open talks with Maduro, before adding that he does not rule out troop deployment.
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday urged all civilian flights in the region to exercise caution at all altitudes due to the heightened risks.
Tensions between the two countries have been strained for more than two decades, worsening after Maduro succeeded Hugo Chávez in 2013. The US rejects Maduro’s legitimacy, citing corruption, authoritarianism and election fraud, and has imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s economy.
Maduro, meanwhile, accused Washington of creating “pretexts” for war and said Venezuela would defend itself if provoked. “No foreign power will impose its will on our sovereign homeland,” he was quoted as saying by Telesur, adding that any attempt to break the peace would be met with a “truly monumental surprise”.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado reiterated her call for Maduro’s removal, insisting it would not be “regime change” but the restoration of the “will of the people”. She argued that Maduro lost last year’s election and rigged the outcome. Machado has also advocated for privatising Venezuela’s oil sector and opening the country to foreign investment.
