The Nicolás Maduro regime has opened a new front in international confrontation by publicly threatening international airlines that have suspended flights to Venezuela following alerts from the United States about escalating military tensions in the Caribbean and rapid deterioration of aerial security in the region.
What the Venezuelan leader presented as an administrative warning is, in essence, an aggressive geopolitical maneuver intended to mask the impact of increasing international isolation that accelerated after the designation of the Cartel of the Suns—the criminal organization Washington attributes to Maduro—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
During his program “Con Maduro+,” the dictator issued a direct threat: “Whoever eats the light will face the law.” He did not mention any security improvements, aviation audits, or cooperation with international agencies. The priority is not to protect passengers or restore trust; it is to intimidate, control, and dissuade any airline considering leaving the country amid rising risks.
The consequences were immediate. The National Institute of Civil Aviation (INAC) issued a 48-hour ultimatum to companies that suspended operations, including Iberia, Air Europa, Plus Ultra, TAP, Avianca, Latam, Turkish Airlines, and GOL. In any functioning democracy, such threats would be unthinkable. In Venezuela, it forms part of the coercive architecture that supports the regime.
But this time, the response came from Europe. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares aligned with U.S. security alerts and made it clear that Spain will protect its airlines against any political retaliation from Chavismo. His message was unequivocal:
“All Spanish companies will always have the protection of the Government.”
With this declaration, Spain breaks the narrative put forth by Maduro that the suspension of flights is the result of “imperial aggression.” The reality is different: Europe shares the risk assessment, especially following the U.S. warning urging to “exercise caution” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean, a region where Washington has reinforced military operations against drug trafficking networks and groups designated as terrorists.
The update of travel recommendations from the Spanish government confirms this. In an unusual move, Madrid added the “uncertainty” caused by the flight suspensions as a risk factor and reiterated the recommendation to not travel to Venezuela except for strictly necessary reasons.
This is an explicit admission that the country faces an unstable, volatile, and politically explosive scenario, worsened by the unresolved post-election crisis since July 2024.
This diplomatic clash highlights a deeper problem: Venezuela is entering an accelerated air isolation. The progressive exit of airlines neutralizes strategic routes that the regime has historically used to move:
- foreign military personnel,
- ally intelligence operators,
- sensitive cargo,
- funds and facilitators of criminal networks.
The disappearance of these formal channels would force the regime to rely almost exclusively on allies like Russia, Iran, China, and Turkey, consolidating a geopolitical air corridor of the anti-Western bloc.
And that is exactly what Maduro is trying to avoid with his threats: if Western airlines leave, he will no longer be able to maintain the illusion of economic normalcy or sustain his shadow logistical architecture.
But U.S. warnings, the revision of security protocols in Europe, and the increased military presence in the Caribbean indicate that democratic actors are unwilling to legitimize that fiction.
At this moment, what occurs in Venezuelan airspace is no longer just a technical issue: it represents a battleground of the new hybrid war in the Western hemisphere, where narratives, strategic interests, covert operations, and a regime formally accused of drug terrorism clash.
Maduro’s threat is merely a symptom of his growing vulnerability. The European and U.S. responses reveal that behind every suspended flight, the international infrastructure supporting his power structure is beginning to crumble.
Venezuela is running out of air. And the world—this time—is watching.