Back to the Past: Venezuela’s Air Connectivity Worsens Since Yesterday

At 0:00 (GMT) on Thursday, August 1, Venezuela lost three important air gateways to the world, following the enforcement of the ban on commercial flights to and from Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Peru. This measure was taken by Nicolás Maduro’s regime as a reprisal against the stance these countries’ governments took regarding the fraudulent electoral process on Sunday in which he was declared the winner.

Unfortunately, this shatters the normalization process of air connectivity that Venezuela had been carrying out not only after the pandemic but also due to the crisis at the end of the past decade related to the withholding of foreign currency to airlines.

The Airlines Association of Venezuela (ALAV) responded by stating that they «respectfully ask the competent authorities to consider the inconveniences caused to passengers and airlines, with unfavorable consequences throughout the tourism value chain, and to allow the maintenance of the vital connectivity for the country.» The statement details that over 10,000 passengers per week will be affected, precisely during a period considered as high season.

With 42 weekly flights operated by Copa Airlines and a handful by Turpial Airlines and Venezolana de Aviación, the routes to Panama City are those whose absence will be felt the most, as they allowed Venezuela to connect with much of the American continent, including several key markets without direct flights, such as the United States or Argentina.

Between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, there was an average of 37 weekly flights operated by Sky High, LASER, Turpial, Avior, RUTACA, and Venezolana de Aviación, facilitating connections to the United States and other Caribbean points.

The Venezuela – Peru market is more modest, with only seven weekly flights operated by LATAM Airlines, but it also opened up connection possibilities to the Southern Cone.

Now it remains to be seen if foreign airlines from countries not sanctioned by Nicolás Maduro will be interested in filling the gaps left to channel traffic through their respective hubs, such as Avianca or Wingo via Bogotá or Caribbean Airlines via Port of Spain. The state airline SATENA, which currently only flies to Valencia (VLN) and soon to Maracaibo, could also take advantage. Of course, everything will also depend on how the political and social situation in Venezuela evolves.

Which airlines and international flights continue operating in Venezuela?

International Airlines

• Air Europa / from Caracas
  • Madrid (MAD): five weekly flights.
• Avianca / from Caracas
  • Bogotá (BOG): four weekly flights.
• Boliviana de Aviación / from Caracas
  • Santa Cruz de la Sierra (VVI): one weekly flight.
• Caribbean Airlines / from Port of Spain (POS)
  • Caracas (CCS): one weekly flight.
• Cubana de Aviación / from Caracas
  • Havana (HAV): one weekly flight.
• Iberia / from Caracas
  • Madrid (MAD): five weekly flights.
• LATAM / from Caracas
  • Bogotá (BOG): four weekly flights.
• NordWind Airlines / from Porlamar
  • Moscow/Sheremetyevo (SVO): one weekly flight.
• Plus Ultra / from Caracas
  • Madrid (MAD): four weekly flights.
  • Tenerife/Norte (TFN): one weekly flight.
• SATENA / from Valencia (VLN)
  • Bogotá (BOG): two weekly flights.
• TAP Air Portugal / from Caracas
  • Funchal (FNC): one weekly flight.
  • Lisbon (LIS): three weekly flights.
• Turkish Airlines / from Caracas
  • Istanbul: four direct weekly flights and three weekly flights with a stopover in Havana.
• Wingo / from Caracas
  • Bogotá (BOG): four weekly flights.
  • Medellín/Rionegro (MDE): three weekly flights.

Local Airlines

• Avior Airlines
  • From Caracas (CCS)
    • Bogotá (BOG), two weekly flights.
    • Curacao (CUR), two weekly flights.
    • Medellín/Rionegro (MDE), two weekly flights.
• Conviasa
  • From Caracas
    • Bridgetown (BGI), Barbados, one weekly flight.
    • Cancún (CUN), two weekly flights.
    • Mexico City (NLU), one weekly flight.
    • Havana (HAV), Cuba, three weekly flights.
    • Managua (MGA), Nicaragua, two weekly flights.
    • Moscow/Vnukovo (VKO), Russia; one biweekly flight via Havana.
    • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, one biweekly flight.
  • From Porlamar
    • Moscow/Vnukovo, one biweekly flight.
  • From Puerto Ordaz
    • Manaus (MAO), Brazil, one weekly flight.
• ESTELAR
  • From Caracas
    • Madrid (MAD), two weekly flights operated by Iberojet.
    • Santiago de Chile (SCL), one weekly flight.
• LASER Airlines
  • From Caracas (CCS)
    • Bogotá, four weekly flights.
    • Curacao, two weekly flights.
    • Madrid, four weekly flights operated by Hi Fly.
• Turpial Airlines / Fleet: three Boeing 737-300.
  • From Valencia (VLN);
    • Bogotá, two weekly flights.