The airport has been partially open to humanitarian flights since the earthquakes that killed more than 3,500 people, with authorities now planning to reopen commercial flights via an alternative runway.
Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble of buildings damaged in the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, Jul 2, 2026. (Photo: AP/Ariana Cubillos)
08 Jul 2026 01:15AM
CARACUS: Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Tuesday (Jul 7) the international airport damaged in last month's twin earthquakes would reopen as soon as possible using an alternative runway.Simon Bolivar International Airport is in La Guaira, north of Caracas and epicentre of the June 24 quakes that toppled scores of residential buildings and killed more than 3,500 people.The airport has been partially open to humanitarian flights."I ordered the immediate activation of an alternative plan to allow commercial flights to resume as soon as possible using the airport's parallel runway," Rodriguez said in a message on her Telegram account.One of Latin America's worst earthquake disasters has left thousands of people homeless and thousands more still missing, especially in the badly damaged La Guaira area.US airmen and military experts have been helping to reopen the airport and also repair the quake-hit port in La Guaira to help delivery of supplies and equipment.Speaking to reporters on a conference call, US embassy Charge d'Affaires John Barrett said US officials were already in talks with American commercial airlines to resume flights."There is some work to do in terms of the infrastructure to support commercial operations at the airport," he said, without giving a precise date.
