Avianca is dropping service to Caracas as of 16 August 2017, ending 60 years of service to its neighbor. In a statement issued on its Facebook page the company indicates that safety and infrastructure concerns in dropping the routes from Bogota and Lima to Caracas (emphasis in original):
Due to the difficulties presented by the aerial operation in Venezuela, Avianca will no longer operate the Bogotá-Caracas-Bogotá and Lima-Caracas-Lima routes starting Wednesday, August 16, 2017, when the last flights will be made Between these cities. As a result, the airline suspends ticket sales for travel after August 16 on these routes.
This measure is based on the need to adapt several processes to international standards, improve airport infrastructure in Venezuela and ensure consistency in operations. Nevertheless, Avianca will examine this decision, once it knows the results of the technical work that will be carried out by the Authorities of both countries to solve these operational and security impediments.
Not mentioned, though implied in some of the statements, is the part where Venezuela is sitting on billions of dollars in foreign airline money that has very, very little chance of ever being paid back to those airlines. United recent dropped its service completely after previously implementing a tech stop in Aruba to avoid crew overnights in Caracas. Avianca’s daily flight to Lima is the only nonstop service between the two cities. In Bogota Avianca operates twice daily alongside TAME, Copa Colombia and Conviasa.
Venezuela finds itself increasingly cut off from air links: IATA
During the recent IATA Annual General Meeting the industry trade group’s VP Americas Peter Cerda spoke to the commercial challenges of continuing service to Venezuela:
The industry is trying to be sympathetic. Airlines don’t want to pull out of Venezuela. But we are getting to a point where airlines need to make business decisions. We continue to advocate with the government to try to find solutions… But unfortunately at this time we have not reached common ground between the government and the industry.
It is a financial calamity but also a humanitarian one. Conditions in Venezuela continue to deteriorate and as each further airline drops service that reduces options for humanitarian aid or supplies to reach the country.
A security tech stop
Header image:Photo of the arrivals board at Caracas Airport by Tadashi Okoshi via CC-SA/Flickr
Never miss another post: Sign up for email alerts and get only the content you want direct to your inbox.
How sad!
Such a shame – I have heard many great things about Venezuela while growing up and seeing the country struggle like this is terrible.
I know the last thing we want is a government collapse, but this needs to happen there unfortunately. The Maduro administration has got to go and the UN or other Latin America political groups need to see that Maduro and his minions are overthrown so the country can begin healing.
Not sure if accurate but local (Costa Rica) media reports AV has changed to CCS service ending *IMMEDIATELY* due to security situation.
Accurate, though that change came the day after I published this story. I did a follow-up piece that covered it: Venezuela goes from bad to worse: Delta drops and Avianca accelerates changes.