American Airlines has suspended all flight operations in and out of Venezuela, citing security concerns.
The U.S.-based airline operated three daily flights to Venezuela from its Latin America hub in Miami, Fla., twice-daily services to Caracas and once daily to Maracaibo, Venezuela’s second largest city. The airline served as the main route between the U.S. and Venezuela.
“American has temporarily suspended our operation into Caracas and Maracaibo. Our Corporate Security team has a collaborative partnership with union leaders and we will continue to do so to evaluate the situation in Venezuela. The safety and security of our team members and customers is always number one and American will not operate to countries we don’t consider safe,” an American Airlines spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
The airline had been pressured by its pilot union to suspend services as the State Department issued a travel advisory to Venezuela last week.
[Related: Pompeo advocates for ‘free and democratic’ Venezuela after US diplomats leave]
The power struggle between Venezuela strongman Nicolas Maduro and the U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido continues to create a geopolitical ripple effect across the Americas. The Maduro regime’s crackdown over the last several years on journalists and foreign individuals, particularly Americans, has caused U.S. companies to re-evaluate their business with the South American nation.
United Airlines suspended all operations to Venezuela in 2017.
