Venezuela Suspends TAP Air Portugal Operations for 90 Days
The airline TAP Air Portugal has been suspended for ninety days because of serious violations of the regulations of the Venezuelan Civil Aeronautics, the Vice President of the Republic, Delcy Rodríguez, said on Monday. Previously, the Minister of Transportation, Hipólito Abreu, indicated that the aforementioned airline incurred violations of international aeronautical regulations, by allowing the boarding of the opposition deputy Juan Guaidó with false identification, on the flight that transferred him on February 12, from Lisbon to Caracas.
Vice President Rodriguez also stressed that this suspension will be made without prejudice to the fines and administrative procedures that may take place. “Venezuela is to be respected!” she wrote on her Twitter account.
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At a press conference, Minister Abreu said that on the TP173 flight that left Lisbon to the Simón Bolívar International Airport, in Maiquetía, La Guaira state, Guaidó traveled under the false name of Antonio Márquez. This irregularity could be detected by contrasting the airline’s checklist, with the data collected by the Venezuelan airport authorities, the minister said.
Likewise, in the documents of the aircraft it was found that the TP173 flight of TAP Portugal did not possess the CS-TKS equipment fumigation certificate, he added.
Likewise, unauthorized materials were found on the plane, Abreu added, so the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (Inac) initiated an administrative process around these irregularities “that undermine aeronautical safety and are in violation of international regulations that the agency governs.”
In this regard, Inac will send a report to the International Civil Aviation Organization. The penalties that will be applied to the TAP Air Portugal airline, which would include suspensions and revocation of their permit, will also be evaluated.
Featured image: tjdarmstadt / Wikimedia
Translated by JRE/EF
