Flights continue at Venezuela's main airport despite Trump’s threat to close airspace

Flights are continuing to operate from Venezuela's Simón Bolívar International Airport, the country's main airport in the capital Caracas, despite a threat from U.S. President Donald Trump to close the country’s airspace.

Trump posted on social media on Saturday that Venezuelan airspace should be "closed in its entirety," in a threat that drew strong international condemnation

At the airport, known locally as Maiquetia, flights to and from Panama and Curacao were posted on the arrival hall's large display board, with some flights listed as having already arrived.

Long lines of passengers waited at the check-in counters for a flight from Caracas to Panama City on Panama's Copa Airlines.

Several international airlines suspended flights last week after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice citing a "deteriorating security situation" in Venezuela's airspace.

Airport services and facilities have been operating normally since then, but passenger numbers have dropped due to reduced flight availability and concerns about further cancellations.

"I asked the airline if there were any restrictions or cancellations. They told me no, so I came," said a passenger.

"People have been deeply affected by the talk about 'closing the airspace.' Everyone is worried, people want calm. These comments caused a lot of anxiety, but right now we feel calm about our flights and hope everything will be fine," said another passenger.

Since November 22, major international carriers, including Spain's Iberia, Colombia's Avianca, and Chile-based LATAM Airlines, have suspended their Venezuela routes.

In response, Venezuela revoked the operating permits of six airlines, stressing that the U.S. has no jurisdiction over Venezuelan airspace.

Panama's Copa Airlines, Colombia's Wingo, and several Venezuelan domestic carriers have confirmed that they are continuing normal operations.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Monday that civil aviation services between Colombia and Venezuela would resume and called on other countries to follow suit. Petro emphasized that the U.S. has no right to close Venezuelan airspace, stating that the U.S. can only restrict its own airlines' operations and has no authority to impose restrictions on airlines from other countries.

Flights continue at Venezuela's main airport despite Trump’s threat to close airspace

Flights continue at Venezuela's main airport despite Trump’s threat to close airspace

Flights continue at Venezuela's main airport despite Trump’s threat to close airspace

Flights continue at Venezuela's main airport despite Trump’s threat to close airspace

China's blue-chip CSI 300 Index made modest gains in the past week thanks to the huge electrification campaign that reduces the country's exposure to the volatile oil price as the continuing conflict in the Middle East enters the second week, said an analyst on Friday.

Chinese stocks closed lower on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.81 percent to 4,095.45 points.

Timothy Pope, a market analyst for China Global Television Network, said the CSI 300 Index made modest gains despite a rough week for both Chinese and global stock markets.

"The conflict in the Middle East really shows no sign of winding down and it has been as you said another rough week for the global markets. Today the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.8 percent, and ended lower for the week as well, but the blue-chip CSI 300 Index actually managed to make some modest gains this week. And that fits what we've been hearing from analysts and investment banks, including Morgan Stanley and UBS. They've said that China's got less oil exposure than other economies. This is partly because of the huge electrification campaign which has been happening in China from family cars to road haulage, and also just the total energy mix here. But we know that oil isn't the only thing that's not getting out of the Middle East at the moment. Fertilizer has emerged as another big disruption point and we have seen in the last 48 hours China already begin early releases of fertilizer reserves ahead of the spring planting season. With all that in the mix we have seen the likes of Morgan Stanley and UBS touting A-shares as a diversification option and a resilient market in this risk-off investment environment," said Pope.

"Sector-wise today we saw some consumer stocks rising -- led by liquor makers, in particular, Kweichow Moutai. There were also some limited gains for Chinese real estate and financial firms. But with the oil price still extremely volatile, Chinese resources and energy shares pulled back today to become the two worst-performing sectors," said Pope.

Chinese blue-chip stocks make gains amid a rough week for global markets: analyst