Last international air to end in VZ; No Av-Gas for planes either.

[GatoGordo]

IATA Venezuela announces cessation of operations for January 2018
By VAD AC Writing - December 4, 2017

This Monday, the International Association of Air Transport (IATA) by its acronym in English, issued a statement where it states that the subsidiary in Venezuela, will cease operations from January 2018.

It is expected a pronouncement by the directors of the subsidiary to make official the withdrawal and cessation of operations of the offices. The press conference will be held in the city of Switzerland in Geneva.

Venezuela will now be served by the management of IATA Central America based in Panama City. In addition, the responsibilities of Cuba, which took several years, will go to the Caribbean office based in Miami, according to the statement.

They also stated that several considerations were made before making the decision, without forgetting that the critical situation that Venezuela is going through has influenced. The withdrawal of a large part of the IATA Members airlines affected them, and also the considerable reduction of transactions in the BSP systems and the CASS.

Months ago IATA called on the government of Nicolás Maduro to respect global standards and thus ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of air transport in Venezuela. However, like everything in this country, it was ignored by the Venezuelan leader. Total isolation!

http://www.venezuelaaldia.com/2017/12/04/iata-venezuela-anunciaa-cese-operaciones-enero-2018/

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Pdvsa internal communication is leaked and reveals critical shortage of gasoline for airplanes (DOCUMENT)
Dec 4, 2017 11:12 am

This Sunday an internal communication of PDVSA was leaked, in which the lack of airplane fuel is evident.

The text reads that in the plant of Catia La Mar, the inventory is in critical condition and the remainder is only destined for reserve.

Unofficially, it was known that the national inventory is almost nil and Barcelona was the last place where there was still gasoline.

It was already finished in Maturín, Puerto Ordaz, Ciudad Bolívar, Higuerote, Caracas Airport, Charallave and Cumaná.

(read document, in Spanish)

https://www.lapatilla.com/site/2017/12/04/se-filtra-comunicacion-interna-de-pdvsa-y-revela-escasez-critica-de-gasolina-para-aviones-documento/

[GatoGordo]

1. The economic meltdown continues. Very likely a CIA plot? Capitalist conspiracy?

Venezuela Airline Association: Only 25% of aircraft are operational
The economic instability that exists in Venezuela has generated the closure of national and international airlines
By THE NATIONAL WEB
DECEMBER 11, 2017 11:30 AM | UPDATED ON DECEMBER 11, 2017 11:43 AM

The president of the Association of Airlines of Venezuela (ALAV), Humberto Figuera, informed that national companies have 25% of their aircraft operating in the midst of the country's economic instability.

The frequency of flights in 2016 was 127 weekly, this year it dropped to 97 and 5 years ago it was 350, reported Diario de Los Andes.

"They figure the few frequencies of flights, the prices of the tickets regulated and the collected thing by concept of flights does not reach to cover the costs", explained Figuera.

Recently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the closure of its offices in Caracas as of January 2018 and will operate from the headquarters of Panama before the political and economic situation of the country.

http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/economia/asociacion-lineas-aereas-solo-las-aeronaves-estan-operativas_214981

The last time I was in Venezuela, we got robbed at Simón Bolívar International Airport (Maiquetía). "The Chavez Shakedown", the locals call it. I was pulled aside by customs agents who were very unhappy that I was smuggling "contraband" into Venezuela. (we call it "dollars" in the United States). But, they left me off with a warning... after they took all my cash and "exchanged it for me, as a courtesy" at the DIPRO rate of $1 = 10 BsF. In other words, I got about $3 of Bolivar Fuertes for my $200 in my wallet.