RAQUEL BARREIRO
EL UNIVERSAL

American Airlines senior vice president for the Caribbean, South America and Mexico Peter Dolara recommended the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to rate Venezuela as category 1 in aeronautics safety and to send experts to Venezuela as soon as possible to check compliance of standards in the Simón Bolívar International Airport.

Dolara's remark came following a meeting with Venezuelan Executive Vice-President José Vicente Rangel to discuss the situation emerging after the Venezuelan Civil Aviation Institute (INAC) suspended the flights of US airlines to and from Venezuela, as a reply to the FAA move in 1995 to downgrade Venezuelan airlines to safety category 2.

"We think the US FAA will be positively surprised when they have a chance to conduct an audit" in Venezuela. He added that Venezuela has made significant steps to improve safety "and today Maiquetía airport is one of the best worldwide."

Dolara said his firm has already asked FAA "to come to Venezuela as soon as possible" to check the efficiency of Maiquetía airport. He insisted FAA should "set a date to perform an audit of the airlines and the airport, if necessary."

"What we cannot let happen is a disruption in service." He added that American Airlines expects to fly over 70,000 passengers from Venezuela to Dallas, New York and Miami during the next Holy Week.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Association of Airlines (ALAV) also called upon the United States aviation authority and the International Civil Aviation Organization to send delegations to Venezuela as soon as possible to launch talks with domestic aviation agencies.

In a press release, ALAV said they would deliver a document to US ambassador William Brownfield on Thursday to ask him to serve as mediator before FAA. They are to request Brownfield to urge FAA to consider improving Venezuela rating to category 1.

"We hope the move the Venezuelan aeronautics authority made (to suspend US carriers' flights) may be understood by FAA in its true technical and legal sense and that no political connotation is attached," said ALAV.

"Regardless of the reasons the FAA had to downgrade Venezuela to category 2 in 1995, it is a notorious fact that the country has made significant progress to achieve a leadership in the fields of legal regulations, air safety and staff training," the communiqué added.

ALAV believes the move INAC made to adjourn a flight ban on US carriers until March 31st "is a gesture that should foster dialogue between the parties."

Translated by Maryflor Suárez R.