Venezuela is nearing a point where air links with the rest of the world will be largely cut off, an IATA official warned.

Speaking to reporters on June 4, IATA regional VP-Americas Peter Cerda said the Venezuelan government “still withholds more than $3.8 billion in airline funds in contravention of treaties that the government has signed” and is nearing a point of no return with the industry.

Noting that Venezuela is in “severe” crisis marked by widespread civil unrest, Cerda said, “The government’s priority is not aviation. We all read the paper and know what’s going on in Venezuela … We are getting to a point where airlines need to take business decisions.”