Venezuela's aviation authority said Wednesday that it had banned six airlines — Spain's Iberia, Portugal's TAP, Colombia's Avianca, Chile and Brazil's LATAM, Brazil's GOL and Turkish Airlines — for “joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government.” The airlines, which account for much of the air travel in South America as well as air links to Europe, suspended flights to Venezuela last week following safety warnings from Washington, which has deployed warships in waters off Venezuela for what it calls an anti-narcotics operation. The suspension infuriated Caracas, which issued the carriers with a 48-hour ultimatum on Monday to resume flights or be banned from Venezuela, which they ignored. A small number of Venezuelan companies, including Avior and Laser, continue to offer a limited number of flights to Spain and regional cities. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration last week urged civilian aircraft operating in Venezuelan airspace to “exercise caution” due to the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.” President Donald Trump has deployed the world's biggest aircraft carrier and 10 other ships to the Caribbean. A source from Iberia told AFP that the company hoped to resume flights to Venezuela “as soon as possible, as soon as full security conditions are met.” It added that the Spanish airline “cannot operate in areas where there is a high security risk” and added that Spain's aviation authority had recommended not flying at this time to Venezuela. Venezuela's decision to ban foreign airlines that stopped flying to the Caribbean country over concerns about U.S. military activity was branded “disproportionate” on Thursday as thousands of passengers scrambled to save their travel plans. “Keep your planes, and we will keep our dignity,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said. The flight suspension has so far affected more than 8,000 passengers on at least 40 different flights, according to the Venezuelan Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (AVAVIT). Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel accused Venezuela on Thursday of a “disproportionate” reaction. This is a story in progress.
