Venezuela main airport resumes commercial flights

Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas resumed commercial flights on Tuesday after damage from the June 24 earthquakes that killed more than 6,500 people.

The airport said a Conviasa flight to Mexico took off at 10:00 a.m. local time, or 1400 GMT. An airport official told AFP that another flight, operated by Global Crossing, arrived at around 10:30 a.m.

Transport Minister Francisco Garces said the runways were “fully operational” and that all safety measures were in place.

The airport, in the coastal state of La Guaira, had remained closed to commercial flights after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes damaged its main runway. It had received humanitarian planes during the disaster response, and cargo flights resumed on August 5.

Air traffic had been redirected to smaller airports around Venezuela. The United States temporarily provided technical and logistical support after the disaster.