Escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela have now seen the Venezuelan government revoke the licences of five airlines, TAP Air Portugal included, on the basis that they have aligned themselves to ‘actions of terrorism’.
This latest spat emanates from the decision by the airlines, over the weekend, to suspend flights in and out of Venezuela, because of “an increase in military activity” as part of the deployment of US forces to the Caribbean.
The FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) described a “potentially dangerous situation” for commercial flight operators flying over the region” and safety threats that extended to “airports and aircraft on the ground”.
As a result, Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, delivered an ultimatum: either TAP and the five other airlines that have pulled out of the country in recent days return to normal business, or they will simply not return, full stop.
“In a sovereign decision, the national government has told the airlines: if you do not reinstate flights in 48-hours, you will not return them at all: you can keep your planes, and we will keep our dignity – and that’s that”, Cabello announced.
Here, infrastructures minister Miguel Pinto Luz has been equally punchy: “The government of Portugal does not give in to threats, ultimata or pressures of any nature”, he said in a note over social networks.
TAP itself – in the (agonisingly slow) process of being reprivatised – has said it has every intention to return to serving the population of Venezuela, once the skies around the country are deemed safe.
“TAP has been flying to Venezuela for almost 50 years and wants to continue serving the community and the national diaspora in that region. However, it cannot do so at the moment due to a lack of safety conditions, imposed both by its internal standards and by ANAC [National Civil Aviation Authority],” the airline said in a statement to Lusa.
Venezuela has in recent times had a complicated relationship with Portugal (as well as a number of other countries). Recent issues with Portugal involved the export from this country of ‘pork knuckle’, a Christmas delicacy in Venezuela, which was not being paid for…
source information: SIC/ Lusa
