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The list of airlines that have decided to temporarily suspend their flights to Venezuela continues to grow, following the issuance of a warning by the United States urging companies to exercise heightened caution when flying over that country, amid rising military tensions in the Caribbean.
According to the agency EFE on X, the Venezuelan airline Estelar announced the suspension of its flights on the Caracas–Madrid route from November 24 to 28, citing “operational reasons from its air provider Iberojet.” The company thus joins a wave of cancellations that has affected the country’s air connectivity within a matter of days.
Air Europa, Plus Ultra, and Iberia also cancel flights
According to El País, the Spanish airlines Air Europa and Plus Ultra have suspended their operations between Madrid and Caracas, joining Iberia, which had already canceled its flights since Saturday following a warning from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
They also announced suspensions: TAP Air Portugal, Gol Airlines (Brazil), and Avianca (Colombia), according to CNN in Spanish.
On Sunday, the largest airline in Latin America, Latam Airlines, confirmed that it would cancel its Bogotá–Caracas flights on November 23 and 24. “The priority is the safety of our passengers and crew,” the company stated, adding that it will continue to monitor the situation for future decisions.
The trend did not stop there. The president of the Airlines Association in Venezuela (ALAV), Marisela de Loaiza, confirmed that Turkish Airlines, one of the ten largest airlines in the world, also canceled its flights to Caracas between November 24 and 28.
In September, Caribbean Airlines had already temporarily suspended its operations between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
The airlines that continue to operate
Amid the cancellations, some companies continue to operate normally, although with certain interruptions. Among them are: Rutaca (flights to Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago), Venezolana de Aviación (flight to Panama), Laser Airlines (routes to Spain and Curacao), Estelar (domestic and international routes, except Madrid), Avior (domestic and international flights), and Wingo (Colombia).
Laser and Estelar clarified that the cancellations to Madrid are exclusively due to their partnership with Iberojet, but that the rest of their routes remain active.
Rising Tension: Military Deployment and Sanctions
The air crisis occurs amid escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela. The administration of Donald Trump has deployed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 soldiers in the Caribbean as part of "Operation Southern Cross," which, according to the Pentagon, aims to target drug trafficking networks.
Since September, the U.S. claims to have destroyed 22 vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking, although it has not provided evidence, and in those attacks, 83 people were killed, according to official reports.
The situation intensified even further this Monday with the enactment of the designation of the Cartel of the Suns as a foreign terrorist organization, a measure that allows Washington to impose harsher sanctions on the assets and infrastructure of the government of Nicolás Maduro.
The United States claims that Maduro and several high-ranking officials are part of this criminal network, while the Venezuelan president denies it. The regime states that the Cartel of the Suns is a political invention aimed at justifying aggression against Venezuela.
An increasingly isolated country
The simultaneous suspension of flights by airlines from Europe and Latin America deepens Venezuela's international isolation and creates uncertainty among travelers, families, and businesses.
While geopolitical tension increases, the country's air connectivity is decreasing, marking a new chapter in the Venezuelan crisis, now with significant impacts on mobility and business operations.
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