Aruba extends ban on flights with Venezuela

• The vice president of the Chamber of Commerce of La Vela de Coro announced that following the extension is fulfilled, flights to the island might resume | Main photo: courtesy

Juan Gotopo, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce of La Vela de Coro, in Falcón, confirmed that Aruba has once more extended the ban on commercial, mail and cargo flights with Venezuela.

Gotopo shared through his X account (formerly Twitter) that the measure has been extended until August 20.

However, the representative of the regional chamber of commerce expressed that he still expects that these restrictions will be lifted by the end of the month.

“We think this is a positive thing because most likely by August 20 the flight ban will be lifted and we will be able to resume flights on the Venezuela-Aruba route,” he said in an interview with Union Radio.

Gotopo also recalled that maritime and air connections with Curacao and Bonaire have been resumed for a year.

Photo: Juan Gotopo

Third extension so far in 2024

The Aruban government extended the measure for the third time in 2024, following announcing a 90-day extension of the ban on commercial flights to and from Venezuela on April 22.

Juan Goroto indicated on April 21 that Aruba has extended the ban on flights between Venezuelan airports and Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport until July 20, 2024.

The Island renews the NOTAM (for its acronym in English) that prohibits passenger, cargo and mail flights to and from Venezuela from April 21 to July 20, 2024. This makes five years without a direct air connection between Aruba and Venezuela,” Gotopo expressed on his social networks in the fourth month of the year.

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Prior to this, Evelyn Wever, Prime Minister of Aruba, announced in the first weeks of January this year that she might annul the measure, however, on January 21 she confirmed the extension of the notam until April 21.

This ban is due to the fact that Aruba has not yet recognized Nicolás Maduro as President of the Republic and, as a result, has closed its maritime and air borders with Venezuela.

Photo courtesy

Maritime border between Venezuela and Aruba

Although the measure to suspend connections with Venezuela occurred in 2019, the Aruban government proposed in February 2023 to the Maduro government to reactivate the maritime border with Venezuela on May 1 of that year. This is on the condition that certain conditions and agreements are met, indicated the Embassy of the Netherlands in Venezuela.

“The first phase will be the maritime border. In order to be able to import cheaper products from Venezuela such as fruits, vegetables, groceries and construction materials. This will help us to lower the cost of living. The talks to achieve this are very advanced,” said the document signed by the Aruban government.

In response, the Venezuelan government submitted the documentation requested by Evelyn Wever, Prime Minister of Aruba, on March 31, 2023.

“There is still a lot of work to be done (in this regard), and our departments in the areas of Justice, Immigration and Civil Aviation are working on it,” added the Aruban Executive.

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