American Airlines has indefinitely suspended service to
Venezuela.
The carrier had been the last U.S. airline flying to the
South American nation, which is suffering from political turmoil and a humanitarian
crisis.
American had been operating two daily flights from Miami to
Caracas and one daily flight from Miami to Maracaibo, Venezuela's second-largest
city. Operations were suspended on March 15 with a resumption date set for
April 1. Now, the suspension has become indefinite.
"American is proud of our more than 30 years of service
to the country and is committed to working cooperatively with our team members,
union leaders and other key stakeholders to re-establish service when the
conditions are right," wrote American spokeswoman Martha Pantin in an
email.
The U.S. leads a coalition of nations that have declared
Venezuelan national assembly and opposition leader Juan Guaido the country's
legitimate leader. However, the levers of power are held by Venezuelan
president Nicolas Maduro.
On Thursday, Maduro's government said it had barred Guaido
from holding public office for 15 years.
Venezuela's Avior Airlines is now the only carrier flying
between the U.S. and Venezuela, according to the website Flight Connections,
with daily service to Caracas and the northcentral city of Barcelona.