Cites 10-Year-Old FAA Ban On Venezuelan Planes

Venezuela announced this week they have prohibited US carriers Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines from flying into the country.

American Airlines -- while still allowed to fly to the South American nation that has grabbed headlines of late due to its increasingly contemptuous public relationship with the US --  will have its operations restricted, said National Aviation Institute president Francisco Plaz.

The ban, which will go into effect March 1, is in (belated?) response to a similar ban on commercial aircraft registered in Venezuela enacted by the FAA 10 years ago over safety violations.

The ban will impact Continental's schedule the most, as the carrier currently offers daily service between Houston and Caracas, as well as weekly service to New York. Delta offers daily service to Simon Bolivar international airport from Atlanta.

Delta currently serves a daily route from Simon Bolivar international Airport to Atlanta while Continental has daily flights to Houston and weekly flights to New York. American Airlines services daily routes to Puerto Rico and Miami.

A spokeswoman for the Venezuelan Association of Airlines -- speaking anonymously as she is not authorized to be quoted by name -- told the Associated Press the three airlines were notified of the ban Thursday. Representatives from the airlines are to meet soon with Venezuelan authorities to discuss the matter, she added.

The latest Venezuelan furor stems -- publicly, at least -- from a 1996 FAA decision that Venezuela needed to tighten its safety procedures if it was to keep flying to the US. The FAA downgraded Venezuela to Category II status, due to the country's failure to meet safety standards.

Venezuelan officials told the AP Thursday they now meet the standards -- but the US still refuses to grant access.

"We have exhausted all avenues with the US aeronautical authority," Venezuela's National Aviation Institute said in a statement issued Thursday. "We have been forced to reduce the frequency of flights of US airline companies from the U.S."

A spokesman for Delta Air Lines said the airlines were discussing the ban -- not with Venezuela, but with US authorities. 

"We're very disappointed by this unilateral action by the Venezuelan government and we are working closely with the U.S. Departments of State and Transportation as well as our peer carriers who received similar notice to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," Kennedy said.

FMI: www.delta.com, www.continental.com, www.aa.com