Venezuelan  flights snafu leaves 452 stranded at Tocumen

Over 450 Venezuelans who were to board three flights of the country’s state-owned airline, Conviasa to their home country on the weekend were left stranded at Tocumen airport.

The destinations of tourists trapped by the pandemic, or workers whose jobs have disappeared in the economic crisis, were  Caracas, Valencia and Maracaibo.

Elvis Gutiérrez, one of the spokesmen for the group who want to return home, said they were informed that the flights will be rescheduled for the next few days. The time and date of the trips is not yet certain.

Oswaldo Velásquez, an official of the Venezuelan embassy informed them on the night of Friday, September 18, that the delay was for “operational reasons.”

Gutiérrez commented that the passengers are required to have a swab test and to pay the departure $70 departure tax

Panama’s Foreign Ministry press team said that the Government only coordinates the flights to bring home Panamanians who were abroad.

Meanwhile, Panamanians who were booked on in-bound flights are stuck in Venezuela

Panama has closed international flights since March 23 but allows Tocumen to function as a humanitarian flight hub and for passenger transit.