The Simón Bolívar International Airport, Venezuela's main airport serving the capital Caracas, resumed its operations on Tuesday, September 1, almost two months after the June 24 earthquakes. A flight from Venezuelan carrier Conviasa bound for Mexico City departed at 10:00 AM, followed by the arrival of a Global Crossing aircraft at around 10:30 AM. The airport, located in Maiquetía, in La Guaira State, in the area most affected by the earthquakes that caused more than 6,500 deaths, had been closed to commercial flights since the catastrophe because its main runway had been damaged.
Before the catastrophe, the airport received 112 daily flights, distributed across 56 arrivals and 56 departures. During the closure, air traffic was redirected to small airports in Valencia, Maracay, Barquisimeto, and Barcelona, which were not prepared to absorb all the demand. Cargo flights had resumed on August 5, but passenger operations remained suspended. Two temporary departure terminals and two arrival terminals were installed, in huge tents set up outside the damaged facilities.
The United States temporarily supported air operations after the earthquakes, offering technical and logistical assistance. The Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines, which operates the Caracas route for almost 29 years with three daily flights, expressed satisfaction at the airport's reintegration into its route network. Iberia announced it would resume the Madrid-Caracas flight on Thursday, with three weekly flights, while American Airlines will operate the Miami-Caracas route from the same date.
The reopening of the airport occurs in a context of normalization of relations between the United States and Venezuela, which had resumed commercial flights in April after seven years of interruption. The IAIM had announced on August 25 that commercial flights would resume on September 1, for both domestic and international flights.
