Venezuela orders international airlines to resume flights or face bans
November 26, 2025
Authorities in Venezuela have threatened airlines that have stopped flying to the country in recent days to resume services immediately.
Failure to do so by noon (1600 GMT) on Wednesday, 26 November, will risk the airline losing traffic rights to serve the country in the future, according to the country’s National Civil Aviation Institute (INAC).
Venezuela threatens airlines with bans
The pressure on international airlines that have stopped flying to the South American country was imposed on 24 November. Carriers decided to pause operations to Venezuela after tensions between the country and the US that have been escalating since August.
Those tensions have been ratcheted up over recent weeks by an increased US military presence in the Caribbean Sea. The scaling up of this presence was the culmination of the Trump administration taking steps against the growth in drug trafficking and terrorist organisations in the country, which is allegedly having a direct impact on the US.
Since September, the US military has carried out 21 air strikes on vessels it claimed were transporting drugs, killing over 80 people in the process. President Trump has also indicated that US forces could attack alleged drug trafficking targets on the ground in Venezuela, should the situation arise.
However, in response, the Venezuelan Government maintains that the US military buildup has little to do with drugs, but instead the US is seeking regime change in the country.
FAA advises airlines to exercise extreme caution
As a result of the escalating diplomatic situation, on 21 November, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a safety warning to airlines serving airports in Venezuela. The warning called for the “exercise of extreme caution” on flights to Venezuela due to the deteriorating security situation and increased military activity in the country.
The warning extended to all flights operating over Venezuelan territory and the southern Caribbean due to “the potentially dangerous situation in the region.”
The FAA added that it was closely monitoring the evolving situation in the region. Additionally, Spain’s air traffic provider, Enaire, also issued a notice to airlines highlighting the current risks.
The warnings cover all air operations that operate within the Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR), which covers the entirety of Venezuelan airspace as well as an area across the southern Caribbean Sea.
Airlines respond by withdrawing Caracas services
So far, several major airlines have suspended operations to Venezuela as a result of the warnings. Spanish national carrier Iberia suspended its five-times weekly Madrid to Caracas flights on 22 November (the day after the FAA warning was issued), while, according to Reuters, Air Europa followed suit on 23 November, cancelling its scheduled Madrid to Caracas rotation.
Spanish budget airline Plus Ultra has also cancelled operations to Caracas and is reportedly “evaluating its plans” for resuming services.
Other international airlines that have followed suit in suspending operations following the FAA warning include Chilean airline LATAM, Colombian Avianca, Caribbean Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Brazilian low-cost airline Gol, and Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines.
However, Venezuelan airlines Laser, Estelar, and Venezolana de Aviación, and the Colombian airline Wingo, have all reported that they are operating normally in Venezuela.
IATA (the International Air Transport Association) has stressed that the cancellations were temporary measures, and had been adopted by its members “after rigorous risk analysis to ensure passenger, crew, and aircraft safety, in line with international standards under Annexes 6 and 17 of the Chicago Convention.”
IATA has called for dialogue between authorities assessing Venezuelan airspace safety. IATA has urged that there be clearer, coordinated guidance for airlines operating in the Maiquetía FIR.
The deadline for airlines to comply is looming
On 24 November, the Venezuelan Transport Ministry said that a 48-hour period given to international airlines that halted their flights would expire at 12 noon local time (1600 GMT) on 26 November, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
The Ministry added that the deadline was imposed on 24 November at a meeting held between INAC representatives and airlines serving Venezuelan airports. Those present were told that a failure to resume flights within this period risked having their traffic rights and operating permits to serve the country revoked by the authorities.
“The Venezuelan state has taken a stand with the airlines and will take the corresponding actions. They have less than 24 hours left,” a ministry source told EFE.
In response to the threat issued to airlines, IATA warned that enforcing INAC’s threat to withdraw traffic rights would ultimately harm Venezuela both economically and by further reducing the country’s already limited air connectivity.
As reported by The Portugal News, IATA confirmed that its airline members remain “committed to resuming operations to and from Venezuela as soon as conditions allow.”
Featured image: Lukas Wunderlich / stock.adobe.com
