US fines Copa over Venezuela flights

The US Department of Transportation imposed a $450,000 fine on Copa Airlines for transporting passengers between the US and Venezuela despite a May 2019 order suspending such flights.

The Panamanian company is one of the few foreign air carriers still operating flights to Venezuela despite the country's increasingly challenging business environment. Copa transported passengers between the US and Venezuela by way of a stopover point for a month after the 15 May 2019 US decision to suspend air service with Venezuela over security concerns.

Copa has told the US authorities that the violation occurred inadvertently, as the air carrier did not provide direct service between the two countries and was not listed in the initial Department of Transportation order as a carrier servicing Venezuela.

Only nine international airlines — including Iberia, Air Europa, Plus Ultra, Turkish Airlines, Air France, TAP Portugal, Copa, Wingo and Caribbean Airlines — were operating in Venezuela immediately before the government grounded all flights in March of this year. The flight ban was recently extended until 12 July.

The Copa fine is the latest evidence that the US "maximum pressure" campaign is having painful consequences besides pressuring President Nicolas Maduro's government, even though Washington says its sanctions are not targeting the people of Venezuela but its government.

"US sanctions focus on depriving the regime of the revenue it generates to continue to fund its humanitarian crisis, which is what Maduro has created in the region," assistant secretary of state Frank Fannon said today.

Last month, AT&T's DirecTV closed its Venezuela operations, blaming sanctions, leaving millions of subscribers without access to US and other international news channels. And US bank Wells Fargo has stopped offering its Zelle payment service to its Venezuelan clients, although it does not specifically attribute the move to the sanctions.

Maduro clings to power even though Venezuela's oil output in recent days fell to 300,000-350,000 b/d, less than a third of pre-sanctions levels.

By Haik Gugarats and Patricia Garip