Due to the U.S. airspace proclamation, airline flights have stopped operating from and to Venezuela. This has resulted in airlines declaring the airspace around Venezuela to be a danger zone. Consequently, airlines such as Copa and Satena have cut service to Venezuela altogether.
Venezuela has an airline crisis due to U.S. policies; services have been cut
Rimshot, a flight marketing company, has noted a surge in demand for Copa and other Colombia-Miami flights. With Copa’s new service cut, Venezuela has lost its final direct sky link to its neighboring, and economically, comparably-sized countries. Venezuela has also lost its final link to the other 35 countries in its airline block. This has led to increased issues for many of the Venezuelan businesses that rely heavily on air transport to get goods and customers.
While international flights are grounded, Venezuelan passengers must turn to other forms of transport to reach their destinations. As reported by Newsroom Panama, customers must now walk or bus across borders, especially at the Cúcuta Simón Bolívar bridge, which has become the only way to access other countries. For many Venezuelan people abroad, the crisis has affected their emotional state as well as their logistical state. Government travelers report cancelled flights with little notice, limited rebooking options, and increased expenses due to rerouting. Some have had to abandon travel plans altogether, while others travelled for many days.
Travelling by plane is no longer an option for most people
Smaller charter airlines and Conviasa, Venezuela’s only commercial airline, have tried to fill the gap left by international flights. However, their continued reliance on older planes and higher ticket prices makes it impossible for them to sufficiently service the high demand. Customers are left with no option but to fly to other countries, such as Colombia or Panama, then turn to overland travel to continue the rest of their journey, which is extremely inefficient and expensive.
The United States’ suspension of commercial aviation to and from Venezuela is also having larger ramifications. The suspension of flights is adding to the already daunting economic problems. With flights suspended, families are left without the opportunity to reunite for the holidays. Blocked cross-border travel and delayed shipments and meetings are also severely impacting commercial trade and tourism.
The Venezuelan government’s response is inadequate, according to critics
Defenders argue that there have been no significant responses from the Venezuelan government to the crisis. The Venezuelan government, while others have said that there is no impact, claims that the mass departure of foreign airlines has no impact on the country. The crisis is also affecting the people in the countries that Venezuela shares a border with, including Colombia and Peru. Airports in Bogotá, Panama, and Lima report increased traffic from Venezuelan passengers whose flights have been rerouted. This is straining these countries’ resources and complicating things for them as well. Venezuelan people and travelers crossing borders on foot have also surged, and these countries have had to increase their security and provide assistance to people in need.
Geopolitics are in focus as Venezuela’s airline crisis continues
Despite regional airlines trying to assist displaced travelers, there has been a sharp increase in airfare prices, consumer overbooking, and a lack of availability on flights. In Latin America, the interconnectivity of geography allows for altered international flights to disrupt the balance of air trade within the region. The impact of geopolitics on the air trade balance has once again been revealed.
Venezuela lacks international flights and is politically and economically trapping itself in a slow-growing international crisis. These flights have become an ordeal for the travelers themselves, and the travelers now become the measure of the crisis itself, testing their resourcefulness, the means to devise a plan rapidly for the crisis, and their ability to withstand the crisis.
Governments, airlines, and travelers are adapting to the flights and the crisis. International air travel to and from Venezuela is in a state of extreme hardship. It is an extreme imbalance, and will take extraordinary action to resolve the impacts of the unbalanced infrastructure of air travel to and from Venezuela.
