At least 10 airlines have suspended flights for the week of November 24 following US alerts regarding the Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR). Image: INAC.
Guacamaya, November 25, 2025. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday requested “clarity, dialogue, and flexibility” following the temporary suspension of flights in Venezuela. This came after the country’s aeronautical authority announced an ultimatum for the resumption of flight frequencies, warning that failure to comply would result in the suspension of traffic rights.
IATA’s statement follows the cancellation of several international flights to Maiquetía airport by at least 10 carriers. These cancellations came in response to safety warnings issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 21 and by Spanish authorities on November 24.
The airlines that suspended flights for this week are Iberia, Air Europa, Turkish Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, LATAM Airlines, Avianca, GOL Linhas Aéreas, Plus Ultra, Laser, and Estelar.
Among the carriers maintaining international connections to date are Wingo, COPA, Avior, Rutaca, and Conviasa. Nordwind has not issued a statement regarding its weekly flight to the Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport on Margarita Island. A charter flight to Katowice, Poland, is scheduled to depart from that airport this Tuesday.
On Monday, Transport Minister Ramón Celestino Velásquez met with the presidents and representatives of major airlines in Venezuela, accompanied by the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC). According to a statement, the meeting was held to “continue guaranteeing Venezuela’s connection with other destinations worldwide in a fast, safe, and efficient manner, as well as to provide solutions to the challenges facing the sector.”
Axios: Trump Not Considering Use of Force, For Now
The FAA alert has been largely linked to the possibility of US military action against Venezuela. Also on Monday, the US Air Force sent a B-52 bomber to fly near the Venezuelan coast, escorted by three F-18 fighter jets.
This is at least the fourth time the Pentagon has conducted this type of show of force against Venezuela. According to several experts, it is part of a pressure strategy to intimidate Nicolás Maduro into accepting to leave power.
The administration has assembled the largest military deployment in the region since the invasion of Panama in 1989, although it has primarily been used to attack civilian vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, accused of transporting drugs to the US.
According to Axios, President Donald Trump currently has no plans to attack Venezuela and is reportedly preparing for a phone call with Maduro. Sources in Washington explained to Guacamaya that it would be unusual for the US to attack another country during the Thanksgiving week.
