Venezuelan Airlines Boost Regional Flights as International Routes Are Suspended

Dec 8, 2025 at 03:40 PM

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Lanka Leader

Venezuelan airlines are expanding regional services and adding more flights as several international carriers suspend operations following U.S. and European aviation warnings linked to rising geopolitical tensions in the Caribbean.

According to Vicky Herrera, president of the Venezuelan Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (AVAVIT), local airlines are “mitigating the situation” after twelve foreign carriers halted flights to Venezuela.

Laser will increase its Bogotá service from four to seven weekly flights starting December 11 and will operate special flights on the Caracas–Curaçao route throughout December and January. Turpial is adding more flights on its Valencia–Bogotá route and has launched a new service to Medellín. Rutaca has opened a Caracas–Bogotá route operating three times per week.

Venezuela has nine airlines, seven of which fly internationally. Some, including Estelar and Laser, have paused their Caracas–Madrid routes after Spain’s aviation authority advised airlines to avoid Venezuelan airspace.

Current active international destinations served by Venezuelan carriers include Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Curaçao, Cuba, China, Russia, Brazil, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Estelar announced a new Venezuela–Spain service with a stop in Barbados starting December 8, offering an option for passengers affected by the recent suspensions tied to warnings from the U.S. FAA and Spanish authorities.

The Venezuelan government also said President Nicolás Maduro and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to quickly restore the Turkish Airlines Caracas–Istanbul route, which was suspended in November.

Demand is rising at border airports, especially in Táchira, near Colombia. Weekly flights there have increased from 35 to 39 as more travelers reroute through Colombia to continue their trips. Travel agencies are now offering land routes to Colombian and Venezuelan border cities to help passengers complete their journeys.

The disruptions began after a November 21 FAA advisory warning of “a potentially dangerous situation” over Venezuelan and southern Caribbean airspace. The alert came as the U.S. deployed military assets to the region—an action Washington says targets narcotrafficking but which Maduro claims is aimed at removing him from power.

With international suspensions still in place, Venezuelan airlines are shifting capacity to regional and border routes in an effort to maintain travel options amid ongoing tensions and aviation safety warnings.