Venezuela Flights Resume After Three-Month Shutdown
A Venezuelan airline took off for Medellín on Tuesday morning, a Spanish carrier landed from Madrid in the afternoon, and a Turkish jet touched down in Caracas by nightfall. Three routes restored in a single day — a modest milestone, but a significant one for a country that spent three months largely cut off from commercial aviation.
The flights mark the latest phase of Venezuela’s gradual reconnection with the outside world, after a crisis that saw nearly every international airline suspend service following U.S. pressure on the country’s airspace late last year.
How Venezuela Lost Its Flights
The disruption began in November 2025, when the FAA issued a safety advisory warning of heightened military activity in and around Venezuelan airspace. The notice cited risks including GPS interference and the presence of advanced surface-to-air weaponry. Days later, on November 29, President Trump posted on social media that Venezuelan airspace should be considered “closed in its entirety,” addressing the message to airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers alike.
The effect was immediate. Airlines including Iberia, TAP Air Portugal, Avianca, LATAM, GOL, and Turkish Airlines suspended their Venezuelan routes within days. Venezuela’s aviation authority responded by revoking operating licenses for carriers that failed to resume service within 48 hours, deepening the standoff. By December, only a handful of regional operators — Copa, Wingo, Satena, and Boliviana — maintained any international connections.
The Gradual Return
Flights began trickling back in early 2026 as diplomatic conditions shifted. The FAA eventually lifted its NOTAMs for the region. Avianca was among the first to return in February, followed by Air Europa, LATAM, and Wingo’s expanded Colombian routes. Tuesday’s reopenings added three more connections to the growing list.
Venezuelan carrier Avior resumed its Caracas-Medellín route with two weekly flights. Spain’s Plus Ultra reactivated its Madrid-Caracas service, starting with two weekly frequencies and plans to increase to three by late March, when it will also add a Tenerife-Caracas connection. Turkish Airlines restored its Istanbul-Caracas route with three weekly departures.
More Routes Ahead This Month
The March schedule includes further additions. Brazil’s GOL is set to resume its São Paulo-Caracas route on March 8 with four weekly flights, restoring a connection inaugurated in August 2025 and suspended just months later. Venezuelan airline Rutaca will open a new Punta Cana route on March 12, and Estelar-Iberojet plans to restart its Madrid service on March 13. In total, seven airlines are scheduled to offer 19 weekly international departures from Caracas during the month.
American Airlines, whose Miami-Caracas route is considered the most commercially important link for the Venezuelan diaspora, has signaled it will also return, though no firm date has been announced. Iberia, which operated five weekly Madrid flights before the crisis, expects to resume in April.
Connectivity Restored, Challenges Remain
For the roughly 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States and millions more across Latin America, the flight suspensions meant months of costly detours through hubs like Bogotá and Panama City. The reopening eases that pressure but does not eliminate it. Visa requirements imposed by both countries continue to limit passenger flows, and industry leaders warn that currency complications could affect route sustainability. The skies above Caracas are open again, but full normalization remains a work in progress.
This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Venezuela news and Latin American financial news.
For more context, read Brazil’s Morning Call and the USD/BRL exchange rate report.
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