The airline Iberia has suspended the Madrid-Caracas flight scheduled for this Thursday and the return journey Caracas-Madrid on Friday, after the Simón Bolívar Maiquetía International Airport was indefinitely closed due to severe damage caused by two earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 recorded on Wednesday in central Venezuela.
The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, confirmed this Wednesday the closure of the country's main airport "due to severe damage to its infrastructure." Rodríguez did not specify the type of damage or offer an estimated reopening date, which has left thousands of travelers unable to fly.
"I want to inform that Maiquetía Airport is closed due to severe damage to its infrastructure," the president stated during the presentation of a first official balance of the seismic movements that occurred around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24.
The affected Iberia flights are the Madrid-Caracas flight scheduled for today, Thursday, at 1:40 p.m. and the return flight Caracas-Madrid scheduled for Friday, June 26, at 7:00 p.m. local time, according to airline sources confirmed to Europa Press.
The company has directly contacted the affected passengers and is applying its force majeure flexibility policy, which includes date changes without additional cost, refunds, and travel alternatives when available options exist.
Operational and economic impact of Maiquetía's closure
The closure of Maiquetía, Venezuela's main air hub, temporarily halts the country's international connectivity. This double cancellation directly impacts the Madrid-Caracas route, one of Iberia's most important connections in Latin America both in terms of passenger volume and cargo transport.
Delcy Rodríguez called for calm and national unity after the earthquakes. For now, no official information has been released on when activity in Maiquetía could resume or on the total extent of structural damage to the terminal.
Iberia advises travelers to check the status of their flights through its website, mobile application, or customer service, where information will be updated as new data provided by Venezuelan authorities becomes available.