Earthquakes damage Maiquetía Airport runways, halting flights

Venezuela's main air transport hub, Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, has been forced to suspend operations after its runways suffered severe structural damage. Powerful earthquakes, measuring over magnitude 7, caused significant deformations, deep cracks, and fractures in the asphalt of the airport's runways.

The main runway, designated 10L, is now completely inoperable due to extensive pavement cracking and the risk of collapse under the weight of large commercial aircraft. Technical maintenance teams are currently assessing a secondary runway (10R) and a shorter runway (09-27) to determine if the underlying ground has shifted, which could compromise safety for emergency landings. The damage to the asphalt infrastructure coincides with a paralysis of the Maiquetía Area Control Center (ACC), impacting air traffic control systems and communications.

In response to the lack of operational guarantees and the condition of the runways, major international airlines including Copa Airlines, Avianca, LATAM, Iberia, and Air Europa have immediately suspended all their itineraries to Caracas. Official sources estimate that contingency work, involving leveling, sealing fissures, and obtaining international certification for the runways, will keep the airport restricted until at least July 2, while the full extent of the disaster is evaluated.