Air France temporarily suspends its operations in Venezuela, confirmed the INAC.

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Air France temporarily suspended its operations to and from Venezuela in the midst of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, reported this Thursday the president of the National Institute of Civil Aviation (INAC), Juan Teixeira, reported the EFE agency.

See also: Venezuela extends the suspension of commercial and private flights until October 12th.

“At the request of the company Air France, I received today the representatives of the airline, who exposed and evaluated their situation at a world level, as a result of the pandemic that today plagues humanity (…). Air France has the painful duty of temporarily suspending regular operations to and from our country,” said Teixeira on Twitter.

On the same platform, the official indicated that the airline “expressed its firm intentions to continue” operating in Venezuela, although without offering further details.

See also: Venezuela: Bio-security mechanisms are incorporated into spaces at the Maiquetía airport.

Teixeira’s announcement confirms the rumors handled by the local media, which reported, citing internal company sources, a possible suspension of operations for at least two years due to the low profitability of the route.

The temporary departure of Air France further restricts the supply of flights in Venezuela, where only a handful of airlines maintain operations.

The vice president for the Americas of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Peter Cerdá, said in September of last year that he foresaw that the South American country would remain disconnected by air.

As Cerdá explained at the time, in 2013 there were 28 airlines operating in Venezuela, but the number dropped to less than 10 before the pandemic forced the closure of the airports.

Among the companies that have decided to leave the Venezuelan market are Aerolineas Argentinas, American Airlines, United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Alitalia, Latam Airlines, GOL, Delta, Avianca and Aeroméxico, among others.

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