Humberto Figuera, the Vice-President of the Venezuelan Airlines Association (ALAV,) Thursday showed optimism about US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Venezuelan Aviation Institute (INAC) overcoming an impasse involving a flight ban on US carriers in Venezuela.

Following a meeting with US Embassy Trade Attaché, Figuera conceded that the problem regarding the suspension of US airlines operations in Venezuela would not be solved before March 30th, the date the INAC set to suspend all flights of Delta Airlines and Continental Airlines from Simón Bolívar International Airport to the United States and curtail American Airlines operations in Venezuela by 70 percent.

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. Given these restrictions, Venezuelan airlines cannot fly to and from US with their own planes.

Figuera, however, said both FAA and INAC have showed willingness to reach an agreement. "There is a climate of full understanding of Venezuelan stance. I think a meeting between aviation authorities should be set very soon. And we are very optimistic about solution of this issue in the short term," he stressed.