Regional connectivity between Brazil and Venezuela took a fresh hit on 24 November after at least six airlines—among them LATAM Brasil, GOL Linhas Aéreas and Copa Airlines—temporarily suspended services that overfly or land in Venezuelan airspace. The move follows an updated U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory flagging heightened operational risks, including unreliable air-traffic-control communications and reports of surface-to-air fire near the Colombian border.
While the FAA bulletin is formally directed at U.S. operators, most Latin-American carriers rely on the agency’s risk matrix to insure their fleets and crews. Brazilian airlines immediately began re-routing Bogotá-originating flights through Caribbean airspace, adding up to 45 minutes of block time and potentially triggering cascading delays on aircraft rotations out of São Paulo/Guarulhos and Brasília.
![Carriers Slash Brazil–Venezuela Capacity After U.S. FAA Security Alert]()
Corporate mobility programmes face two immediate challenges. First, petroleum-sector staff commuting to PDVSA sites will have to connect via Panama City or Lima instead of the usual São Paulo-Caracas nonstop, extending total journey times to 10–12 hours. Second, cargo hold space used for critical drilling components and pharma supplies is expected to shrink by an estimated 40 percent until alternative freighter routings are secured.
Brazil’s foreign ministry (Itamaraty) has not issued a formal travel ban but is advising nationals to verify itinerary changes and to register on the ‘Brasileiros no Mundo’ consular portal if essential travel is unavoidable. Insurance brokers report that war-risk premiums for flights transiting the Maiquetía FIR have doubled overnight, costs that airlines are likely to pass on through surcharges.
Looking ahead, mobility managers should build contingency budgets for rerouting and consider virtual alternatives for meetings originally scheduled in Caracas or Maracaibo. If the security environment deteriorates further, expect Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to formalise restrictions, as it did during the 2019 Venezuelan crisis.
While the FAA bulletin is formally directed at U.S. operators, most Latin-American carriers rely on the agency’s risk matrix to insure their fleets and crews. Brazilian airlines immediately began re-routing Bogotá-originating flights through Caribbean airspace, adding up to 45 minutes of block time and potentially triggering cascading delays on aircraft rotations out of São Paulo/Guarulhos and Brasília.
Corporate mobility programmes face two immediate challenges. First, petroleum-sector staff commuting to PDVSA sites will have to connect via Panama City or Lima instead of the usual São Paulo-Caracas nonstop, extending total journey times to 10–12 hours. Second, cargo hold space used for critical drilling components and pharma supplies is expected to shrink by an estimated 40 percent until alternative freighter routings are secured.
Brazil’s foreign ministry (Itamaraty) has not issued a formal travel ban but is advising nationals to verify itinerary changes and to register on the ‘Brasileiros no Mundo’ consular portal if essential travel is unavoidable. Insurance brokers report that war-risk premiums for flights transiting the Maiquetía FIR have doubled overnight, costs that airlines are likely to pass on through surcharges.
Looking ahead, mobility managers should build contingency budgets for rerouting and consider virtual alternatives for meetings originally scheduled in Caracas or Maracaibo. If the security environment deteriorates further, expect Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to formalise restrictions, as it did during the 2019 Venezuelan crisis.
