Britair From United Kingdom, joined Aug 1999, 933 posts, RR: 17 Posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 4551 times:
News just in: Effectively immediately British Airways has suspended operations to Caracas indefinately.
This is in light of recent economic and political unrest in Venezuela. Off the record it is also following the discovery of a hand-grenade on a Caracas to London BA flight.
AA61hvy From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 13975 posts, RR: 59 Reply 1, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 4530 times:
Britair From United Kingdom, joined Aug 1999, 933 posts, RR: 17 Reply 2, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 4457 times:
BA served Caracas from Gatwick with a 777 that continued on to Bogota. Not quite sure what's happening with the Bogota extension now though, will probably route through Barbados or somewhere in the Caribbean.
Britair From United Kingdom, joined Aug 1999, 933 posts, RR: 17 Reply 4, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 4404 times:
I thought so. At home now and didnt have a chance to look into it all very closely when I was at work, just got the internal email saying that services had been suspended.
Donder10 From Canada, joined Oct 2001, 6659 posts, RR: 24 Reply 5, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 4396 times:
Weren't they checking out the security at CCS in the last 10days or so because of the grenade incident?As you said in your 1st post Britair, the current political climate in Venezuela provides a useful cover instead of 'your security is shit'.
Britair From United Kingdom, joined Aug 1999, 933 posts, RR: 17 Reply 6, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 4394 times:
Hey Donder10 I agree totally!
Especially since yesterday the following was posted on the BA staff intranet, and then today flights are suspended!......
British anti-terror police travel to Caracas
British anti-terrorist police have travelled to Caracas to piece together the life of a Venezuelan man who allegedly flew from the South American country to London's Gatwick airport with a live hand grenade in his luggage.
Three officers from the Metropolitan Police were scheduled to arrive in the Venezuelan capital as part of their investigation into Hasil Mohammed Rahaham-Alan, 37, who was arrested last week after stepping off a British Airways flight from Caracas, sources close to the investigation said.
Tight-lipped Venezuelan immigration authorities say Rahaham-Alan was carrying a false domestic identification card and they could not confirm his identity.
"It's the same name, but we are not sure we are talking about the same person. We're not sure if he is a Venezuelan or not," said Alfredo Gil Romero, director of the immigration control agency.
Family home
Reuters visited the two-story green-and-white home, where Rahaham-Alan told a London courtroom he had lived. Neighbours said a family named Rahaham had lived for more than a decade in the house, perched along a sun-scorched hillside overlooking the eastern part of Caracas.
Interpol police on Friday visited the home, which had been unoccupied for nearly a month, local residents said.
"I was surprised to hear this," said one neighbour, who asked not to be named. "They are really decent, professional people. I used to call the mother 'grandma' and she would invite me in for tea and coffee."
The elderly mother and her four children were not believed to be native Venezuelans, but residents of this middle-class neighbourhood said they didn't know where the family had come from. Two sons and a daughter lived outside Caracas, but the third son had not visited the home for about three years, they said.
Rahaham-Alan appeared in a London court on Monday where he was charged with "possession of an article for the purpose of committing a terrorist act" and "possession of an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or damage property".
Custody
He is also charged with carrying a dangerous article on a British-registered plane. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at London's Old Bailey court on February 24.
US officials last year said they were concerned that extremist Islamic groups were receiving financial backing from Middle Eastern expatriate communities on Venezuela's Margarita Island, a popular Caribbean tourist haven.
The mainland shares a rugged, porous border with Colombia and has long been a conduit for drugs and counterfeit goods to and from other South American countries. Venezuelan government officials admit their troubled immigration controls need an urgent overhaul.
Arrested
Rahaham-Alan, bearded with long dark hair, arrived at Gatwick last Thursday on a British Airways flight which officials said started in Bogota, Colombia and made stops in Caracas and Barbados before heading to London.
He was arrested after police allegedly discovered the grenade in his bags. Police, already on high alert due to threats of an attack, were forced to evacuate the airport's north terminal, delaying or cancelling scores of flights.
British officials also want to determine how a hand grenade got through Caracas airport security. Sources said that the grenade was carried in a metal box that helped mask it from X-ray equipment.
Trintocan From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2000, 3191 posts, RR: 4 Reply 7, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 4317 times:
Yes, the CCS/BOG flights were of late routed via BGI - after the uprisings in CCS they were routed initially via TAB but were shifted to BGI due to greater pax demand for flights to Barbados (ie more revenue on the long hop). I find it strange that CCS security has been called into question - on the times I have flown to or through CCS they were very strict. Indeed on flights to and from MIA-POS in 1993 all pax had to disembark from the UA 757s during the CCS stop and go back through X-ray screening before boarding again.
HlywdCatft From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5321 posts, RR: 7 Reply 8, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 4300 times:
Thats scary reading about the Islamic groups on Margarita Island. My girlfriend is from there and we were supposed to go there over xmas time, but cancelled the trip due to the unrest there.
Ussherd From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2000, 328 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (10 years 3 months 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 4238 times:
In my experience, security at Caracas has always been very strict. There also seems to be pretty thorough bag screening to deal with drug trafficking (due to Venezuela's proximity to Colombia). As far as Islamic groups in Venezuela are concerned, I can't really believe that they would pose a major threat. There is a considerable Middle Eastern community throughout Venezuela and on Margarita in particular, but I understand that most of this community is Orthodox Christian, not Muslim.
Britair From United Kingdom, joined Aug 1999, 933 posts, RR: 17 Reply 11, posted (10 years 3 months 2 hours ago) and read 4040 times:
BA to resume flights to Caracas
British Airways will resume flights to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas today (Friday) and has appointed a new security firm there to carry out its hold baggage screening.
Last week on Thursday (February 13) a male passenger on BA's Caracas flight was arrested by the police for allegedly carrying a hand grenade in his hold baggage.
The airline launched its own investigation immediately and sent one of its senior security advisers to Caracas to find out why it had not been detected during hold baggage screening.
Security procedures
It also cancelled all its flights to and from Caracas airport until it could reassure itself about the security procedures there.
The Venezuelan Government's National Guard carries out hold baggage screening on behalf of many airlines operating from Caracas airport and BA as has been conducting an immediate review with them.
A BA spokesman said: "Under the definitions used by the UK authorities, Venezuela was and remains categorised as 'low threat'. Caracas airport was audited recently as part of our regular world-wide programme and received a satisfactory rating but as part of our investigation we decided to conduct another immediate review.
"As a result we have decided to introduce alternative baggage screening procedures with immediate effect. We have terminated our arrangement with the National Guard and have appointed a private security company to carry out our hold baggage screening.
"Consequently we have decided to resume services into and out of Caracas with effect from tomorrow."
LatinPlane From United States of America, joined Dec 1999, 2629 posts, RR: 15 Reply 12, posted (10 years 2 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 4011 times:
Capt. Picard
As far as I know, United has been the only carrier to stop flying into Caracas. Other airlines still continue to serve Venezuela, but many have reduced service extensively. Many airlines from Europe are now having to stop and refuel somewhere in the carribbean on their way back to their destination. Iberia was flying to MAD via Santo Domingo, while Alitalia now makes a stop in Point-A-Pitre to and from Italy.
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