Barbados already feeling fallout from Venezuela crisis – PM

Barbados is already experiencing tangible fallout from the escalating crisis in Venezuela, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said on Saturday, as flight disruptions, cruise challenges and concerns over stranded travellers emerged within hours of the US military operation in Caracas.

Speaking during a press conference at Ilaro Court, Mottley described developments in Venezuela as “uncharted territory” and warned that the consequences long predicted for small states were now being felt in real time.

“It is fair to say that what we saw happen last night in Venezuela is uncharted territory,” she said, adding that Barbados had been affected “on multiple fronts” in the past 24 hours.

Among the most immediate impacts were disruptions to air travel, with 13 scheduled inbound flights cancelled overnight, all of which had been fully booked. The prime minister said US-registered flights were particularly affected after airspace restrictions were imposed across parts of the eastern and southern Caribbean.

Airlines impacted included JetBlue, Delta and United, while KLM also cancelled a flight despite not operating out of the United States. Three long-haul international flights were also cancelled, though British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada and WestJet were expected to operate as normal.

Mottley said regional air travel continued largely uninterrupted but cautioned that the situation remained under close review as countries monitored developments in Venezuela and neighbouring airspace.

“These matters are unfolding every half hour to an hour,” she said.

She confirmed that the National Security Council met shortly after 1 a.m., activating a coordinated response involving law enforcement, immigration, tourism, port and airport authorities, as well as the Barbados Defence Force.

As one of the closest major tourism hubs to Venezuela, the PM noted that the country was also managing knock-on effects at sea. Four cruise ships were already in port on Saturday, with a fifth expected for maintenance and repairs. She said port capacity for overnight berthing had been reviewed and deemed manageable in the short term, though some vessels may need to anchor offshore and rely on tenders.

An estimated 2 000 cruise passengers could be affected by flight disruptions, she said, while 73 people were directly impacted by the cancellation of a Conviasa flight that had been scheduled to return to Caracas.

The prime minister said the government was working with the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association to identify available accommodation for stranded passengers, noting that hotel capacity remained comfortable due to the same flight cancellations preventing other visitors from arriving.

“We are conscious that there are some people who may not have the wherewithal or the capacity to make their own arrangements,” she said, adding that home affairs, immigration and tourism officials were coordinating support where needed.

Mottley also addressed concerns about Barbadians abroad, noting that some nationals returning from Christmas travel may be delayed overseas.

“We give families in Barbados the assurance that we are on top of helping with your relatives who may be stranded overseas,” she said.

Asked directly about Barbados’ position on the unfolding crisis, the prime minister stressed the country’s commitment to regional consultation and international law while avoiding prejudging ongoing Caricom discussions.

“Let me be very clear, Venezuela is our friend, the United States of America is our friend. The Caribbean Community has been the entity we have chosen as a matter of first principles to align our foreign policy with,” Mottley said.

“We took a decision that we will wait for other information to become present, and when that happens, we will certainly act collectively, and I do not want in any way to prejudice the integrity of that consultancy process with Caricom,” she said.

The prime minister further confirmed she had been in contact with fellow Caricom leaders and the Caricom Secretary-General since the early hours of the morning, with an emergency Heads of Government meeting convened just after 5 a.m., from which a regional statement was issued.  However, not all leaders were present due to the timing.

Reiterating Barbados’ long-standing foreign policy stance, Mottley added: “Having said that, our principles are very clear, that small states can only survive in an international rules-based order and that therefore anything that happens that runs contrary to that would be of great concern to us as a people in Barbados but equally to the region.”

“Without prejudice, I will await any further consultation on the specifics of this incident.”

While some regional airspace closures had since been lifted, including in Curaçao and the French territories, the prime minister cautioned that stability would depend on whether there were further developments on the ground in Venezuela.

“This is a moving target,” she said. “We will continue to keep everyone updated.” (SM)