Venezuela carries out its threat and revokes concessions to Iberia and 5 other airlines for canceling flights after the US notice

The Government of Venezuela has fulfilled its threat and has this Wednesday the flight concession to several international airlines was revoked by accusing them of “joining the actions of terrorism” promoted by the US, which increases pressure in the Caribbean where it maintains its unprecedented military deployment.

Hours after the deadline granted by the Venezuelan authorities to the airlines, which expired at 16:00 GMT (noon local time), the Ministry of Transportation and the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) announced their decision, which affects Iberia, TAP, Avianca, Latam Colombia, Turkish Airlines and Gol.

These companies had canceled trips to and from Caracas after last Friday the US Federal Aviation Administration urged commercial airlines to “exercise caution” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean in the face of what it considers “a potentially dangerous situation in the region.”

The full scope of this revocation, which would isolate Venezuela and would limit its air connectivity at a time as crucial for transportation as Christmas, remains to be seen.

Venezuela “decides who flies”

Shortly before the announcement, the Minister of the Interior of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, recalled that The Government of the country is the one who “decides who flies and who doesn’t” and “the right of admission is reserved.”

“The national government, in a sovereign decision, told the (airline) companies: if in 48 hours you do not resume flights, do not resume them again. You keep your planes and we keep our dignity and that’s it, there is no problem,” said Chavismo’s number two.

For the moment, Copa, Wingo, Boliviana de Aviación and Satena, as well as the local companies Avior and Conviasa (state-owned) maintain their operations in the country.

In this context, uAn American plane with 175 deported migrants landed around noon in Venezuela’s main airport, the Simón Bolívar international airport, which serves Caracas, which, according to a source from the Ministry of Transportation, shows that “there is no danger in Venezuelan airspace” and, in addition, shows “double speech” on the part of Washington.

Subsequently, the Venezuelan Government assured that the US requested “special permits” to operate “repatriation routes with US aircraft.”

Movement in the Caribbean

Meanwhile, the US Air Force revealed this Wednesday that B-52H bomber aircraft performed attack demonstrations this week in the Caribbean.

The authorities did not specify the location of these demonstrations, which they framed within the military operation ‘Lance of the South’, announced on November 14 to fight drug trafficking originating in Latin America three months after the military deployment in the region began.

Also this Wednesday, the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, and the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, announced that The US will use two Dominican airports “provisionally” as part of its fight against drug trafficking through ‘Lanza del Sur’.

The International airport of the Americas and the military airport of San Isidro, both in the province of Santo Domingo, will allocate areas for the transportation of US equipment and technical personnel, Abinader stated in the presence of Hegseth.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, assured this Wednesday that the White House has not requested her country be “the basis for any war against Venezuela”a day after the visit of the US Chief of Staff, Dan Caine, and rejected speculation that US military activity in the island nation was linked to tensions with Caracas.

Call for defense and dialogue

The executive vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, said this Wednesday that “The way is not to send ships” or threaten “militarily” his country.

Hours later, Cabello announced starting Thursday a phase of organization in communities “for whatever circumstance,” without specifying what this organization entails, and spoke of defending the country in moments of tension due to the US military mobilization.

Furthermore, he considered it “imperial folly” for the Dominican Republic to authorize the United States to use two airports in Santo Domingo as part of the fight against drug trafficking.

For his part, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said that direct conversations between President Nicolás Maduro and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, are welcome, who has said that his contacts with the Chavista leader are to “save many lives.”