Chevron continues Venezuela oil site flights despite FAA airspace warning

(Bloomberg) – Chevron Corp. is flying employees from Caracas to its oil production sites in Venezuela despite a U.S. warning to operators that air travel in the region may be unsafe due to military satellite interference. 

The Houston-based oil major, which is the only U.S. crude producer left in Venezuela, sent employees Monday to its facilities around the country, according to people with knowledge of the situation who asked not to be named discussing private information. The chartered jet flights are part of Chevron’s routine weekly oversight of oil ventures that pump around 25% of Venezuela’s output, the people said. Workers typically return to Caracas later in the week.

“Chevron’s operations in Venezuela continue in full compliance with laws and regulations applicable to its business, as well as the sanctions frameworks provided for by the U.S. government,” Chevron spokesperson Bill Turenne said in a statement.

“Our top priority is the safety of our personnel, the communities in which we operate, the environment and the integrity of our joint venture assets,” he said. “Any questions about the security situation in Venezuela should be directed to the appropriate authorities in the U.S. government.”

While air travel in and out of Venezuela has largely halted following the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s advisory that airlines “exercise caution” in the nation’s airspace, domestic and deportation flights from the US continue.

The safety of Caribbean airspace has become a political flash point as the Trump administration maintains its military build-out in the region, an operation that now comprises the largest deployment of force against a country in the Western Hemisphere since the late 1980s. The conflict has coincided with a surge in communication jamming that’s affecting satellite navigation and other systems in the area, making air travel risky.

Most of the jamming is in the northern part of the country and would theoretically impact parts of the route between Caracas and the areas of the country where Chevron is flying workers. Nevertheless, domestic commercial and private flights continue to operate apart from some Venezuelan-declared no-fly zones near the borders with Brazil and Colombia, according to a communication seen by Bloomberg.

Authorities in Caracas have warned airlines still operating in the country that they must continue flying there or the government will revoke their licenses. Six international operators, including Colombia’s Avianca, Portugal’s Tap and Turkey’s Turkish Airlines were stripped of their licenses by President Nicolas Maduro on Nov. 26, according to the Venezuela gazette. Requests for comment sent to five Venezuelan commercial airlines were not immediately returned.

Despite the restrictions, deportation flights from the U.S. to Venezuela continue, with Venezuela’s government saying Monday that Washington requested permission to keep sending two planes a week to Caracas.

Although the U.S. has barred most American companies from doing business in Venezuela, the Trump administration allows Chevron to continue minimal maintenance on equipment in its joint ventures, and the company can keep exporting Venezuelan oil to the U.S.