The Portuguese airline TAP will resume its regular flights to Caracas, Venezuela, starting June 21, following more than two years without operating this route, it announced this Friday in a statement.
TAP indicated that from that date it will operate two weekly flights in each direction, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, between Lisbon and Caracas, in an A330neo aircraft with capacity for 298 passengers.
Before that, it will carry out three special flights between the two capitals on April 21 and May 5 and 16.
TAP airline suspended in 2020
In February 2020, the Venezuelan government suspended TAP’s operations in the country for 90 days.
This following accusing her of violating international security standards by allowing the transport of explosives on a flight between Lisbon and Caracas. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó was traveling on this flight, accompanied by his uncle, Juan José Márquez.
Restrictions on international flights due to the Pandemic
XAfter that, the airline itself and the Portuguese government rejected the suspension by the Venezuelan government and considered that this was totally «unjustified«.
The month following those events, new restrictions on international flights were imposed due to the pandemic.
Which is why it wasn’t until February of this year that Venezuela authorized regular commercial flights to Portugal and other countries.
Portuguese in Venezuela
In Venezuela resides the second largest community of Portuguese in Latin America, following Brazil.
That’s because many Portuguese emigrated to Venezuela during the decades between 1940 and 1980.
Likewise, most of those born in Portugal who now live in this country come from the Madeira archipelago.
