Category World News

Flights to Caracas will be suspended on December 4 and 5, according to Panamanian carrier Copa and its Colombian-based budget subsidiary Wingo, while Boliviana de Aviacion and state airline Satena and Boliviana de Aviacion also canceled on Thursday.

Copa and Wingo made the prudent decision to temporarily suspend flights to and from this city in response to intermittent issues with one of the navigation signals on board its flight from Caracas, according to Copa and Wingo in statements.

The companies added that “operational safety” was never compromised by the interruptions, with a company spokesman claiming that both carriers’ aircraft had been impacted by the signal issues.

Boliviana also canceled its flight to Caracas on Thursday, while Colombian government airline Satena suspended its route to Valencia&nbsp, Venezuela’s third-largest city. At the time of publication, neither has made a public statement.

No international airlines are flying to Venezuela now that the suspensions have been lifted, but several national airlines continue to fly internationally.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the suspensions on November 21 in response to several major carriers’ 90-day warnings about risks to commercial aircraft flying in Venezuelan airspace.

In addition to the extensive US forces deployment in the Southern Caribbean, the FAA cited “the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in Venezuela.”

There is “so much uncertainty.”

Trump declared Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety” on Saturday. Only four other international carriers followed these warnings and continued to fly to Venezuela: Copa, Wingo, Satena, and Boliviana.

Members of Venezuela’s diaspora who had already experienced travel difficulties were now in for a new set of challenges as a result of the cancellations. People who have already been to the country are now having to make their own travel arrangements.

Juan Carlos Viloria Doria, vice president of Venezuelans in Colombia’s Barranquilla, said, “Many people have expressed their concerns about the cancellation of these flights.” People want to reunite with their loved ones and friends for Christmas especially at this time of year. Venezuelans must endure such a high level of uncertainty due to the political climate, which is unfortunate.

Travel plans are hampered by the cancellations, especially for those who are traveling through Venezuela and who may need to take dangerous overland trips.

Viloria urged Venezuelans to organize travels in collaboration with their families, friends, and migrant networks, as well as to consult official government sources.