Commercial flights partially resume after eight months of shutdown

Venezuela gave the green light on Monday for a very partial resumption of commercial flights, after a suspension of nearly eight months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities did not say when the first flights were scheduled.

The National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), which regulates air traffic in Venezuela, announced that airports would remain closed to flights connecting abroad. An exception is foreseen for the “brother countries”: Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Iran.

An underestimated contamination in Venezuela

In mid-October, Nicolas Maduro assured that air links with the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Turkey would resume “in December” without further details. The president had announced the end of commercial flights in mid-March, at the same time as a lockdown came into effect. During this period, only cargo and humanitarian flights were allowed.

Venezuela, a country of 30 million inhabitants, has recorded more than 92,000 cases of coronavirus and 801 deaths. The opposition and some NGOs believe these figures are deliberately underestimated. Before the pandemic, the country in the midst of economic and social crisis faced growing disaffection from foreign airlines. Caracas international airport was however among the destinations served by Air France, Iberia and Turkish Airlines.