Venezuela Condemns Trump’s Orders Regarding Its Airspace – Copa Airlines Continue Flights

Venezuela on Saturday strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s message warning that the South American country’s airspace “will remain completely closed,” and criticized his “unprecedented” attempt to “give orders and threaten the sovereignty” of the nation.  “This type of statement constitutes a hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act, incompatible with the most basic principles of International Law and is part of a permanent policy of aggression against our country, with colonial pretensions over our region of Latin America,” reads a statement released on Telegram by Foreign Minister Yván Gil. 

Furthermore, the government of President Nicolás Maduro denounced “before the world” that such statements “represent an explicit threat of the use of force,” which, it asserts, is “clearly and unequivocally prohibited” by the Charter of the United Nations, and considered it to be an “attempt at intimidation.”  “Venezuela demands unrestricted respect for its airspace, protected under the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” the statement adds, also emphasizing that this South American country “will not accept orders, threats or interference from any foreign power.” 

“No authority outside of Venezuelan institutions has the power to interfere with, block or condition the use of national airspace,” he added.  In that regard, the Maduro administration asserted that with Trump’s declaration, the United States “has unilaterally suspended flights of Venezuelan migrants.”  “To date, 75 repatriation flights have been carried out for 13,956 Venezuelan migrants who have been received with love and absolute solidarity,” the statement adds, referring to the agreement reached last January by both nations, which have not maintained diplomatic relations since 2019. 

Likewise, he called on the international community, the “sovereign governments of the world”, the United Nations and international organizations “to firmly reject this act” which he labeled “immoral”.  This Saturday, Trump posted on his social media account, Truth: “To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers: Please consider that the airspace over and around Venezuela will remain closed in its entirety. Thank you for your attention! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” without clarifying any circumstances related to the closure. 

Venezuelan Presidential Plane Flies to the Border with Brazil Amid Heightened Tensions with the United States

A plane belonging to the Venezuelan regime made an unusual trip to the border with Brazil on Saturday, November 29, amid growing military tension between Caracas and Washington, CNN Brazil reported.  CNN Brazil used ADSB Exchange, a portal specializing in air tracking, to locate the plane belonging to the Nicolás Maduro regime.  According to the published data, the aircraft — an Airbus A319 registration YV2984, operated by the state airline Conviasa — took off from the city of Caracas and flew to the vicinity of the Brazilian state of Roraima.  The plane, classified as a “government VIP aircraft”, has been used on occasion by Maduro for official trips.  Records show that the aircraft would have landed at the Santa Elena de Uairén airport, about 250 kilometers from the border with Brazil, a strategic point close to the border line.