• Venezuela has revoked landing rights for six international airlines amid tensions with the US.
• The airlines were given a 48-hour ultimatum to resume flights after halting services due to security concerns.
• The US increase in military presence in the Caribbean has raised fears of potential military action against Venezuela.

In a significant move that has affected thousands of passengers, Venezuela has revoked the operating rights of six major international airlines, including Iberia, TAP Portugal, Avianca, Gol, LATAM, and Turkish Airlines. This suspension follows the airlines' temporary cessation of flights due to warnings from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding a "worsening security situation" and "heightened military activity" in and around Venezuela. The Venezuelan government accused these airlines of participating in "state terrorism promoted by the United States" for "unilaterally" halting flights, effectively escalating tensions further between the two nations, according to BBC and Reuters.

The Venezuelan civil aviation authority announced this decision, asserting that the foreign airlines had disobeyed a 48-hour deadline to resume operations. The actions occurred amid heightened U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, which the U.S. describes as targeting Venezuelan support for drug trafficking—claims vehemently denied by President Nicolás Maduro. Despite assurances from some airlines to resume flights once safety conditions improve, such as Iberia expressing a desire to restart services as soon as it is safe to do so, travel connectivity with Venezuela has significantly diminished, as reported by Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Foreign officials, including Portugal's Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel, criticized Venezuela's suspension as a “disproportionate” response, emphasizing that the airlines' decisions to pause operations were based solely on security concerns. Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have surged, particularly following military mobilizations by the U.S. in the region. Critics argue that the U.S. military presence serves to destabilize Maduro’s government rather than combat drug trafficking, leading to further deterioration in bilateral relations, according to BBC and Al Jazeera.