Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía resumed commercial operations this Tuesday at 25% of the capacity it had before the earthquakes of June 24, with an initial day that mobilized more than 2.400 passengers and activated national and international connections.
The Minister of Transport, Francisco Garcés, reported that during this first day there were 14 domestic operations, seven arrival flights and seven departure flights, and eight international operations, four arrivals and four departures.
The reactivation is part of the start of a gradual recovery of the country's main air terminal, which during the emergency moved part of its operations to the airports of Valencia and Barcelona.
Garcés explained that the temporary facilities were set up in 35 days through continuous work sessions, tests and simulations, which allowed for the partial restoration of air connectivity to Caracas.
Maiquetía regains connections with the outside world
Four international carriers participated in the inaugural flight. Conviasa operated the flight to Saint Lucia; American Airlines resumed service to Miami; Copa Airlines flew to Panama; and Air Europa covered the route to Madrid.
The September schedule also includes the gradual restoration of connections with Madrid, Miami, Bogotá, Panama and Santo Domingo, while São Paulo will be added later.
The return of these operations will help to decongest the airports of Valencia and Barcelona, which took over part of the international and national connectivity during the weeks following the earthquake.
National connectivity is also growing
The recovery of Maiquetía includes the progressive restoration of domestic routes to different regions of the country.
The schedule includes connections from Caracas to destinations such as La Fría, El Vigía, Valera, Canaima, Los Roques, Porlamar, Cumaná, Las Piedras, Barquisimeto, Maturín, San Antonio and Santo Domingo del Táchira, Maracaibo, Valera, Puerto Ordaz, Barcelona, Barinas and Puerto Ayacucho.
These operations are in addition to planned routes by Conviasa, Rutaca, Laser Airlines and Estelar to different national destinations, as part of the process of reorganizing air connectivity.
Garcés noted that the increase in operations will be gradual and will depend on the adaptation of the facilities and the adjustments that the airlines make to their respective schedules.
Temporary terminals will operate throughout 2026
The minister confirmed that the temporary terminals will remain operational for the rest of this year, while the recovery of the original terminal progresses.
Although he did not set a definitive date for the return of operations to the main airport, he assured that the structure can be recovered and that the evaluations carried out determine that it presents competent structural conditions.
The biggest task lies in restoring the related services necessary to guarantee the terminal's full operation.
He explained that the work covers more than a kilometer of affected facilities, including walls, ceilings and other operational components.
Added to this is the presence of a geological fault trace in the area of the runway, evidence of the magnitude of the seismic event that occurred on June 24.
Therefore, Garcés considered it premature to set a date for the definitive reopening of the original terminal, since technical evaluations may reveal new elements that affect recovery times.
The original terminal would have a yellow label.
Regarding the damage classification used to assess the buildings affected by the earthquakes, Garcés indicated that the original airport would mainly have a yellow label, corresponding to moderate structural damage.
However, due to the size of the airport complex, he noted that some areas could eventually be considered within a red classification, while others would maintain the yellow condition.
The temporary structures, meanwhile, were designed according to earthquake-resistant standards and remain subject to technical evaluations.
Capacity will increase progressively
The capacity of the temporary terminals will be expanded gradually, while alternatives to strengthen operations during the transition period are being studied.
The projection put forward by the Ministry of Transport is to reach around 40% of the previous capacity in the coming months and subsequently move towards levels between 50% and 60%, according to the evolution of the works and the reorganization of the airlines.
They recommend checking flights before traveling
Given the reorganization of operations, Garcés recommended that passengers consult directly with their airlines regarding the airport, schedule, and location of departure or arrival of their flights.
He also advised against arriving at the facilities too early. For international flights, he recommended arriving three to three and a half hours prior to departure, while for domestic flights, he considered a margin of up to two hours sufficient.
Recognition to workers
Sixty-nine days after the earthquakes, Garcés highlighted the efforts of the airport workers who participated in the recovery of the facilities.
He noted that several of them faced personal losses during the emergency, including deceased colleagues, injured workers, and others who lost their homes, but they continued to be involved in the work.
“We are rebuilding things, but above all, we are doing them better,” he said.
The minister maintained that this stage must be based on scientific studies, transparency in execution and compliance with earthquake-resistant standards, with the objective of progressively recovering Maiquetía's operational capacity and strengthening national air connectivity.
