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Venezuela issues 48-hour ultimatum to international airlines
Venezuela's aviation authority has ordered international carriers to resume flights to the country within 48 hours or face permanent revocation of their operating permits, escalating tensions after a US aviation warning prompted widespread suspensions.
The directive, issued Monday by the National Institute of Civil Aviation (Inac), targets at least eight airlines-including Spain's Iberia, Air Europa, and Plus Ultra; Brazil's Gol; Chile's Latam; Colombia's Avianca; Portugal's TAP; and Turkish Airlines-which halted services following a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alert on Friday. Only Caribbean Airlines (Trinidad and Tobago) had already ceased operations in September.
US warning triggers flight suspensions
The FAA's Notice to Air Missions cited "heightened military activity" in Venezuela's Maiquetía flight information region, which includes the capital's main international airport, Simón Bolívar. The advisory urged "extreme caution" for all altitudes due to "worsening security conditions."
While some carriers-such as Panama's Copa Airlines and Venezuela's state-run Conviasa-continued operations, the suspensions slashed international connectivity. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) warned Venezuela's ultimatum would "further isolate" the nation, already among the least connected in Latin America.
"Our member airlines remain committed to restoring services to and from Venezuela as soon as conditions permit," Iata stated, urging Inac to withdraw the deadline.
Military tensions and US-Venezuela standoff
The flight disruptions coincide with a US military buildup in the southern Caribbean, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier. Washington frames the operation as a counter-narcotics mission, claiming 21 strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels since September-mostly in the Caribbean but some in the Pacific.
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro condemned the US actions as an attempt to "overthrow" his government. In a televised address Monday, he declared: "They will not defeat Venezuela. We are invincible." The US, which labels Maduro's 2024 re-election as "rigged," has not ruled out direct talks. President Donald Trump told reporters last week he might engage with Maduro "at a certain point."
Industry and geopolitical fallout
The standoff risks deepening Venezuela's economic and logistical isolation, analysts warn. With airlines caught between safety concerns and regulatory threats, the crisis underscores broader US-Latin America tensions, as Caracas accuses Washington of "imperialist aggression" while the US insists its operations target drug trafficking-not regime change.
