[ad_1]
Finding flights out of Venezuela is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive.
he president Nicolas Maduro Flights to some countries have been cancelled Who doubts him? Claiming election victoryTwo of them are usually important hubs for passengers traveling to and from Venezuela: Panama, the airline’s operational center Copa Airlinesand the Dominican Republic. Peru is also banned.
only The regional flight option out of the country is Bogotabut prices have skyrocketed. A two-week trip from Caracas to the Colombian capital, which takes about two hours, used to cost less than $200, but last Friday the price was more than $800.
Dictators don’t like this.
Professional and critical journalism practice is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is why it troubles those who think they are in possession of the truth.
Start your day right with the #CincoCosas newsletter. Subscribe for free here.
Lack of alternatives is leaving Venezuelans stranded abroad They returned to vote in the July 28 election. Many hoped a possible change of government would bring about changes in the country that would allow them to return permanently. Now, some say they are desperate to leave and fear they will be trapped.
Maximum pressure on Maduro: US recognizes Edmundo González Urrutia as winner of Venezuelan election
EugeniaThe 27-year-old travelled from Panama to Caracas, where she lives with her husband and three-month-old son. Vote and take advantage of opportunities to be with your family But now there are no return flights for them. The baptisms were also canceled after protests broke out and Maduro’s security forces began cracking down on dissidents.
Eugenia asked that her last name not be used to avoid government retaliation. He knows leaving Venezuela won’t be easy Protests began the day after the election, with protesters blocking the main road leading to the capital’s airport.
He said each ticket now costs up to $1,500 to return to Panama via Colombia, while they originally paid $330 per round trip.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “We are worried about food shortages. There are rumors that there could be a new nationwide blackout, similar to the one that occurred in 2019, which resulted in flights being canceled due to political unrest.
More than 1,200 protesters and opposition leaders arrested after election Maria Corina Machado He went underground while calling for demonstrations across Venezuela this Saturday to defend what his party sees as an electoral victory. Maduro’s government has yet to release detailed voting data Despite calls from other countries, including its allies Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, and democracy advocates, the United States said candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, a close ally of Machado, won the election.
The canceled flights are part of a wider regional diplomatic row over the election results. Panama withdrew its diplomats from the country, as did Chile, whose president called Venezuela’s official vote count “unbelievable.”
All flights
The international airport connecting Caracas was packed this week, and Passengers flying to Panama and the Dominican Republic are trying to board the last flight Available or find a new route to your destination.
Wednesday, LATAM Airlines had to put all its passengers on a flight to Bogota. Although Colombia has not yet been removed from the list, its President Gustavo Petro expressed concern about Maduro’s electoral victory on Wednesday, urging Venezuelan authorities to allow a verifiable recount and international monitoring of Maduro’s victory.
At least 50% of Venezuela’s 187 weekly international flights have been canceled after Maduro decided to suspend flights to Panama, the Dominican Republic and Peru, according to people familiar with the matter.
Maduro’s decision will affect some people According to Dora Ríos, there are 10,000 passengers per week. President of the Venezuelan Association of Wholesalers and Agents Companies. He explained that the Dominican Republic and Panama are generally used as bridges to connect with the rest of the world.
Rios pointed out that the closure of these destinations will absolutely affect everything, as Bogota and Medellin, which are also widely used, will also be saturated. “We want to urge the government to consider the consequences of this decision, we risk being in trouble again.”
Like Eugenia, 35-year-old Eduardo Perera traveled to Venezuela with his wife and son to vote, but they were unable to use Panama Airlines’ return tickets. Although the return trip was forced to be postponed, they still bought tickets to Colombia on August 12 at a “relatively good price” and then flew to Panama, where they live.
Fewer and fewer choices
Pereira has not voted in Venezuela since he left the country a decade ago, though he has visited the country several times. He felt compelled to come back and contest these elections, I believed that a change of government was possible, but the results were disappointing.
According to Pereira, this is a dictatorship that wants to maintain power even though the people tell them they don’t want them. “They know that faith and terror are opposites, and terror is spreading.”
Apart from Bogota, the options for Venezuelans have been reduced to non-daily flights to Mexico and some Caribbean islands such as Curacao or Trinidad and Tobago. The farthest and most expensive options are Spain and Turkey. These routes are unlikely to fully absorb the potential passenger diversion if the route to Bogota is also closed.
Pereira said he was not worried about waiting for a flight at the end of the month because he owns his own business so his job is not in danger. But Maduro’s grip on power has frustrated him.
“My biggest worry right now is not being stuck in Venezuela,” he said. “My biggest fear is that we’re going to lose this huge opportunity.” To restore the country. “We all want to come back.”
Translated by Paulina Munetta.
[ad_2]
Source link
