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Venezuela has revoked the operational permits for six major international airlines that had suspended flights to the country after a safety warning from the United States.
Venezuela’s civil aviation authority late on Wednesday revoked permits for Iberia, TAP, Avianca, Latam Colombia, Turkish Airlines (THY) and Gol, which further reduces connectivity with the South American nation and fulfills revocation threats made earlier this week.
Colombia, Brazil and Spain, whose airlines are affected by the decision, are among the countries with the largest Venezuelan populations.
Escalating Venezuela-U.S. tensions
Caracas, in a statement, said the carriers had “joined actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States” by “unilaterally” halting commercial flights.
Last week, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned major airlines of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around” the country.
Caracas said the FAA has no jurisdiction over its airspace.
The U.S. military has been deploying forces to the Caribbean for months amid worsening relations with Venezuela, to combat what it has portrayed as President Nicolas Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans.
Maduro has denied the accusations and says U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to oust him.
In a statement on Monday, the International Air Transport Association said Venezuelan authorities had given international airlines a 48-hour deadline to resume flights, or risk losing their rights to fly to the country.
“Keep your planes, and we will keep our dignity,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said.
Airlines respond
Several international airlines had canceled flights to Venezuela in recent days, ignoring Caracas’s deadline.
Iberia said it wished to restart flights to Venezuela as soon as full safety conditions were met.
Turkish Airlines suspended flights from Istanbul to Caracas from Nov. 24 to 28 and said passengers may be rerouted to alternative routes via Bogota, Panama, Cancun, Mexico or Havana.
Avianca announced its intention to reschedule canceled flights to Caracas for Dec. 5 in a Wednesday statement. The company declined to comment on the restrictions imposed by Venezuela.
Portuguese Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Rangel called Venezuela’s decision to revoke the airlines’ operating rights “totally disproportionate.” He said the European nation – headquarters of carrier TAP – had tried through its embassy in Caracas to persuade Venezuelan authorities to reinstate operating rights.
Portugal has “no intention of canceling our routes to Venezuela, and that, obviously, we only did so for security reasons,” Rangel said.
Air Europa and Plus Ultra had suspended flights but did not have their permits revoked.
International airline Copa and its Wingo unit continue to operate in Venezuela, as do domestic airlines flying to Colombia, Panama and Curacao.
