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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Energy & Infrastructure

Regional airports absorb international air demand due to structural damage at Maiquetía

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Venezuelan airports are handling international air traffic due to structural damage at Maiquetía International Airport.
  • The airport's national and international terminals sustained damage from earthquakes on June 24.
  • Flights are being rerouted to alternative airports like Valencia, while Maiquetía operates limited humanitarian and cargo flights.

Regional airports in Venezuela are absorbing international air traffic following structural damage to Maiquetía International Airport Simón Bolívar, caused by earthquakes on June 24. Aeronautical authorities have extended a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) restricting general and international aviation operations until July 9.

Valencia is receiving the commercial passenger flights, while Maiquetía, with the runway they enabled, 10R28L, is receiving humanitarian flights.

— Rodolfo RuizExplaining the current flight operations distribution between Maiquetía and alternative airports.

The contingency plan redirects commercial passenger flights primarily to Arturo Michelena Airport in Valencia. Maiquetía is currently operating solely for humanitarian and cargo flights after one of its runways was made operational. Aeronautical lawyer Rodolfo Ruiz clarified that humanitarian and commercial flights continue, with Valencia handling passenger traffic and Maiquetía managing humanitarian flights on its reopened runway (10R28L).

Repair work on the airport's infrastructure is ongoing. Ruiz emphasized the priority given to restoring operations due to the airport's economic significance and the employment it generates in La Guaira state. The swift rehabilitation of the runway signals a potential quick recovery for the airport, with terminal repairs considered less critical to flight safety.

Due to the importance of Maiquetía International Airport and the number of jobs it generates in La Guaira state, absolute priority will be given to restoring operations. The fact that they rehabilitated the runway in such a short time is a sign of what could be the immediate future of the airport. At the terminal level, it is easier, as flight safety is not jeopardized.

— Rodolfo RuizHighlighting the airport's significance and the focus on infrastructure repair.

Commercial operations are also being diversified to airports in Barcelona (Anzoátegui state) and Maracaibo (Zulia state) to alleviate traffic volume at Valencia, which has limited capacity for the long term. The viability of these alternative terminals depends on specialized airport services, including certified maintenance, ground handling for wide-body aircraft, and adequate gate availability.

Everything will depend on the specialized airport services that the airport can provide. It's not just the runway or the terminal; it's knowing if there are certified maintenance services for the aircraft that will operate, if there are ground service providers to handle wide-body aircraft, and if there are enough gates.

— Rodolfo RuizDetailing the logistical requirements for alternative airports to handle increased traffic.

Legally, the earthquakes are classified as "force majeure," an unforeseeable and unavoidable event, which exempts transport companies from liability for itinerary disruptions and obligations related to flight cancellations.

The earthquakes qualify under the legal concept of 'force majeure,' as they constitute an unforeseen and unavoidable event.

— Rodolfo RuizExplaining the legal classification of the earthquake damage.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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