WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao reportedly denied permission Tuesday for a private aircraft carrying Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado to land on the island as part of another attempt to return to Venezuela.
International news agency EFE reported the development based on a source familiar with the operation. According to the report, Aruba and Bonaire also declined requests for the aircraft to land.
There has so far been no official confirmation from Curaçao authorities that a landing request was rejected or an explanation of the reasons behind any decision.
According to EFE, the aircraft that was supposed to transport Machado from Panama to Curaçao ultimately never departed. The proposed flight was part of a new attempt by the Venezuelan opposition leader to reach Venezuela. Her team says she has now made seven attempts to return to the country.
Reports emerged Tuesday that Machado's name appeared on the passenger manifest of a private flight scheduled from Panama City to Curaçao. The flight did not take place, although the manifest itself did not explain why.
Spanish newspaper El País also reported that Machado's attempt to travel through Curaçao had been abandoned, but did not initially establish what had prevented the flight.
EFE's subsequent reporting indicates that the aircraft failed to obtain authorization to land in Curaçao, Aruba or Bonaire. The news agency based the information on a single anonymous source said to have knowledge of the operation.
None of the three islands has publicly confirmed the reported refusals.
For private flights to Curaçao, advance authorization from the Curaçao Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA) is required. Since March, private, charter and other non-scheduled flights must request a landing authorization at least 48 hours before departure.
Curaçao's aviation requirements also stipulate that non-scheduled flights between Curaçao and Venezuela require additional authorization from Venezuela's civil aviation authority, INAC.
It remains unclear when authorization was requested for the flight involving Machado, which authority submitted or handled the request, or on what grounds any application may have been rejected.
There is also no confirmed information indicating whether political, diplomatic, security or purely aviation-related considerations played a role.
Curaçao had already emerged as a possible transit point in an earlier attempt by Machado to reach Venezuela.
In June, Machado reportedly planned to travel from the United States through Curaçao. The Dutch ambassador in Washington initially offered cooperation but later withdrew it. Machado's aircraft, which was already en route, subsequently returned to the United States.
Machado is currently in Panama. According to her team, she attempted three times within approximately 24 hours this week to travel toward Venezuela, first by sea and later by air through Aruba and Curaçao.
None of the attempts succeeded.
The latest report could raise questions in Curaçao over who made the decision regarding the landing request and why. Until the Curaçao government or aviation authorities provide confirmation, however, the reported refusal remains based on EFE's account and has not been independently confirmed by local authorities.