American Air Extends Halt of Venezuela Flights ‘Indefinitely’

(Bloomberg) -- American Airlines Group Inc. halted flights to Venezuela, indefinitely extending a temporary suspension that began two weeks ago.

While the company said it was committed to reestablishing service “when the conditions are right,’’ it didn’t provide an estimate of when flights would restart.

“We don’t have a set time frame,’’ American said in an email Thursday.

The decision cut off the last remaining flights to Venezuela by a major U.S. carrier, deepening the country’s isolation as it reels from a nationwide power failure and the prospect of electricity rationing in Caracas, the capital city. Since 2013, almost a dozen airlines have pulled out of the South American nation as the government has struggled during a spiraling economic crisis.

American had normally flown twice daily between Caracas and Miami, and once a day between Maracaibo and Miami. In its statement, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company said it was “proud of our more than 30 years of service’’ to Venezuela.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at maryc.s@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Case at bcase4@bloomberg.net, Jeffrey Taylor

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