The deepening crisis in Venezuela is threatening to remove the South American nation from the travel map, with Argentine Airlines becoming the latest carrier to suspend flights to the country.
The Argentinian airline joins a host of other major carriers, including the likes of United, Lufthansa and Air Canada, to withdraw from Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, amid concerns about security, political uncertainty and unpaid government contracts.
Iata, the international airlines association, said there are only “six or seven carriers” still running services to the country at a “very low flight frequency”. Vice-president Peter Cerda said: “Venezuela is becoming disconnected, it’s practically disconnected from the rest of the world, above all by air, and we can’t see any solution in the short term.”
What is happening in Venezuela?
The South American nation spent the summer barrelling deeper into crisis, amid daily street protests, violence and an economic collapse that has left some struggling to feed themselves. The country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, has received global condemnation for what appears to be a shift towards autocratic government. The country also suffers some of the world’s highest rates of violent crime – and an increasing sense of anarchy.
As instances of political violence grow, there are concerns that the nation might fall into civil war.
Airlines have cited security issues for years, with a wave of carriers abandoning Venezuela back in 2014.
