(1 Sep 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
La Guaira, Venezuela – 1 September 2026
1. Various of people walking into airport
2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Francisco Garcés, Minister of Transportation:
++ PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 1-4 ++
“Today, with great joy and pleasure, we have news to share with the Venezuelan people: after arduous, intense, very important, and above all, highly professional work, we have successfully brought the Maiquetía International Airport and its domestic operations online through temporary terminals. These operations begin today, and several flights have already departed, ensuring Venezuela’s international air connectivity.”
3. Various of people being assisted at the ticket counter
4. Screen showing cities for flight departures
STORYLINE:
Nearly 10 weeks after two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, the country’s main airport partially resumed commercial operations on Tuesday.
A temporary area with metal structures was erected in the parking lot of the Simón Bolívar International Airport, located in the Maiquetía area of La Guaira state, to serve passengers while repairs continue.
The airport, located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Caracas, was closed after severe damage to its runways, control tower, and passenger and cargo boarding and disembarking buildings during the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes of June 24, which left more than 6,500 dead and some 17,900 people homeless.
The structure, approximately 10,000 square meters (108,000 square feet) in size, has the capacity to handle 2,168 passengers per day, according to the airport, and includes check-in counters, air-conditioned waiting areas, free Wi-Fi, medical services and restrooms, among other amenities. Passengers will be transported to their aircraft entirely by bus.
“We hope that with this initial phase of operations … we will recover 25% of the operations we had before the earthquake,” Transportation Minister Francisco Garcés told the press Tuesday.
He added that “we will gradually create the conditions to increase these capacities,” reaching 40% in a few months and 60% by the end of the year or beginning of next year.
Garcés said that the resumption of operations has been certified by international organizations that carried out the corresponding inspection.
Most of the deaths occurred in La Guaira, Venezuela’s second smallest state, which is home to Simón Bolívar International Airport and the country’s second largest port. Its population of 440,000 is mostly poor and relies on tourism, commerce and activities related to the airport and port.
The resumption of commercial operations will initially include seven domestic and four international round-trip flights operated by Copa Airlines of Panama and Air Europa of Spain. Other airlines, including Spain’s Iberia, will be added in the coming days.
Until yesterday, all international flights arrived at small airports in the central state of Carabobo and the eastern state of Anzoategui, approximately 168 and 314 kilometers (104 and 195 miles) from Caracas, respectively.
The earthquakes were the strongest recorded in the South American country in over a century and occurred 39 seconds apart along the coastal mountain range, where the country’s largest population centers are located.
The tremors caused severe damage in Caracas and the central-western states of Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua and Yaracuy.
AP Video shot by Brayan Antequero
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