Khaberni - In a bold move reflecting increased regional political tensions, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced today the resumption of full commercial flights between Colombia and Venezuela, defying last week's statement by U.S. President Donald Trump that the airspace over and around Venezuela is "completely closed".
Petro wrote on his official account on the "X" platform, saying: "It is not the right of the United States to close Venezuelan airspace, they can ban (flights) of their own airlines, but not foreign companies, Colombia resumes civil aviation with Venezuela and invites the whole world to do the same".
Petro's announcement comes in a broader context of tensions between Washington and Bogota, as Petro criticized Trump's policies in Latin America, considering them "violence for dominance", especially after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Colombia due to Petro's environmental and social policies.
Trump Closes Airspace Over Venezuela
Washington has imposed severe economic sanctions on Venezuela since 2017, accusing Maduro of suppressing opposition and corruption. With Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, pressures escalated and on November 29, Trump posted a tweet on the "Truth Social" platform saying, "To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers: consider the airspace over and around Venezuela completely closed".
This announcement followed a warning from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration about "high military activity" in the region, prompting six international airlines to suspend their flights to Venezuela, including regional carrier Cuba Airlines.
Colombian-Venezuelan Rapprochement
Amid escalating tensions between the United States and Colombia, ties between Colombia and Venezuela have been growing, following decades of economic and security challenges between the two neighboring countries sharing a long border over 2200 kilometers.
Since Nicolas Maduro came to power in Venezuela in 2013, the country has faced a severe economic crisis, leading to the migration of more than 7 million Venezuelans, the largest number to Colombia, which currently hosts about 2.5 million Venezuelan refugees. This migration has put immense pressure on Colombian services, but it has also strengthened humanitarian ties between the two peoples.
