Venezuela by plane
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Vaccinations
Some airlines ask passengers to show a valid Yellow fever vaccination certificate before flying to Venezuela. This is not an official entry requirement, however the CDC Yellow fever vaccination recommendation is "for all travellers over 9 months of age travelling to Venezuela, except the northern coastal area. The cities of Caracas and Valencia are not in the endemic zone." A valid measles vaccination certificate may be required to board flights out of the country following a nationwide immunisation program in 2006, but foreign tourists are usually exempted.
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The main international airport is Simon Bolivar International Airport ( also known as Maiquetia airport), (IATA: CCS, ICAO: SVMI) located in the Vargas state. It is approximately a 30-minute ride from Caracas. Buses are available during the day, departing from Parque Central next to Calle del Sur. Buses run from 7AM-6PM, and cost 18BsF per passenger. A taxi ride from the airport will cost Bs. 150,000 (BsF. 150)/ US$70 (official exchange rate) and US$28 (unofficial exchange rate) during the day, or Bs. 200,000 (BsF 200) / US$93 (official exchange rate) and US$37 (unofficial rate) at night. There are international flights to Maracaibo and Valencia, but the choices are very limited.
You can travel non stop from the US and most major European cities.
Continental Airlines links Caracas to Houston daily Newark weekly. American Airlines offers daily flights from Miami, San Juan, Dallas and New York. Delta Airlines offers a daily flight from Atlanta. Air Canada offers a direct flight from Toronto four times a week.
From Europe, there are non stop flights from Paris (Air France), Rome and Milan (Alitalia), Madrid (Iberia, Air Europa, CONVIASA, Santa Barbara), Tenerife (Santa Barbara), Santiago de Compostela (Air Europa -Seasonal Service-), Frankfurt (Lufthansa) and Lisbon and Oporto (TAP).
Aeropostal, CONVIASA, Avianca, Copa Airlines, TACA, Lloyd, LAN Chile and Aerolineas Argentinas provide flights to the rest of Central America and South America.
Copa Airlines has a daily service from Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia to Panama and connections to all South America, Central America and USA.
American airlines has a daily service from Maracaibo to USA.
For international departures (at Maiquetia Airport), the airport tax is Bs. 137.00 / US$53.49 (official exchange rate) and US$23 (unofficial exchange rate) and a departure tax Bs. 46 / US$21.4 (official exchange rate) and US$9.2 (unofficial exchange rate). These taxes are paid at the airport, although many airline tickets might include these taxes.
Currently, only American Airlines is allowed to charge the airport tax with the ticket purchase. All other international carriers do not have the capacity to include this tax in their ticket price. It is a good idea to keep at least $50.00 US on hand when departing from Venezuela. If the fees increase, or you are required to pay both the airport and departure tax, you can head into the main lobby area where many businessmen will eagerly buy fifty dollars for 250 bolivares fuertes, plenty to pay the bill. If you are stuck without cash, you can ask the Canada Air employees to charge your credit card and provide you with cash to pay the airport tax. Ask for 'efectivo' when employing this strategy.
For domestic flights (at Maiquetia Airport), the airport tax is Bs. 23 (BsF. 23) Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela, Santa Bárbara Airlines, Avior Airlines, Conviasa and Aserca Airlines are the major domestic airlines in Venezuela.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Venezuela
