Venezuela: Avianca, Iberia, Air France suspend flights

Event

Several airlines have announced the suspension of flights to and from Venezuela as of Sunday, July 30, due to operational and security concerns. Avianca Airlines suspended all flights on July 27, and is rerouting flights to avoid Venezuelan airspace. The airline also suspended its Barbados flights due to the extra travel time added by rerouting around Venezuela. It is unclear when service to affected destinations may resume.

Air France announced plans to suspend all operations in Venezuela at least from July 30 to August 1. Iberia Airlines canceled flights for July 30, and stated that flights will resume on August 2 at the earliest.

Context

These suspensions come during an ongoing wave of often-deadly protests that have been occurring on a near-daily basis in Caracas and other cities across the country since early April. Demonstrators are denouncing a wide range of grievances as well as demanding elections. Venezuela has been devastated by a long series of crises affecting the restive country in recent months and years, including a breakdown of the democratic system, major shortages of basic necessities, an alarming spike in rates of violent crime, massive inflation and economic recession, and a resurgence of disease.

Numerous other airlines - including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta, Lufthansa, Air Canada, LATAM, and AeroMexico - have suspended or reduced services to and from Venezuela in recent years due to currency exchange issues combined with low demand and deteriorating security conditions.

Advice

Travelers are advised to make alternate arrangements when flying to, from, or within Venezuela. Individuals throughout the country are advised to adhere to strictly avoid all protests and associated roadblocks due to the likelihood of violence, to closely monitor the situation, and to remain vigilant at all times.