Trip planning

Maiquetía Airport (Caracas) in 2026: what works, how many flights, and how to get to the city

By Romulo Felizola · Published November 10, 2026

High-rise buildings in Caracas with the hills behind.Photo: Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Official stated by a public body on its page, in a statement or in the Gazette. Reported from operators, press or travel media, with their date. Unconfirmed no reliable source: confirm before you go.

Maiquetía airport (CCS) has operated since Sept 1, 2026 from temporary terminals open 24 hours. On Nov 3 the airline association ALAV counted 178 flights a week, against 260 before the June 24 earthquake. For international flights arrive three hours early, and check that your ticket says CCS, not Valencia or Barcelona.

What happened to Maiquetía airport?

The double earthquake of June 24, 2026, of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 according to PAHO, damaged the terminal and closed the airport Reported. The main runway did not suffer major damage, according to the transport minister Reported. The damage was to buildings, equipment and the passenger and baggage areas.

Date (2026)	What happened
June 24	Double earthquake; Maiquetía goes out of service Reported
July 26	The transport minister estimates a gradual recovery of 10 to 12 weeks Reported
Sept 1	Reopens in modular temporary terminals Official
Oct 15	The minister announces a “new service wing” Reported
Nov 3	ALAV counts 178 weekly flights Reported

How much of the airport has recovered?

It depends on who measures and what they measure. These figures are not comparable with each other: some are about capacity, some about operations and some about flights.

Date	Figure	Source
Sept 2	40% of former capacity	Aviacionline Reported
Sept 10	49% of domestic and 46% of international operations	Transport minister, via Infobae Reported
Sept 16	45–50% of capacity	BAER president, via 2001online Reported
Oct 15	70–78% of prior operations	Transport minister, via 2001online Reported
Nov 3	178 weekly flights (before: 260, or 68%)	ALAV, via elDiario Reported

The official target of Sept 1 was to recover 40% of functions in the traditional terminals in November and to exceed 60% of combined capacity by year end Official. We found no confirmation that the first target has been met.

What is the temporary terminal like?

Modular facilities with their own security screening. This is what the official note of Sept 1 says Official:

Area	Floor area	Gates	Capacity
Domestic departures	3,335 m²	3	480 people
International departures	4,300 m²	4	780 passengers
Arrivals (shared)	2,554 m² + 1,000 m² outdoors for people meeting you	—	—

The estimated time from check-in desk to boarding gate is about 30 minutes Official.
The international area has 4 X-ray machines and a body scanner, with Seniat (customs), Interpol, INAC, Saime and Insai present Official.
Infobae gives 720 seats in international departures, not 780. It is a difference between sources we could not resolve Reported.
There is air conditioning, Wi-Fi, restrooms, waiting areas and vending machines, but no shops or cafés Reported (as of Sept 2).

What should I do before flying?

Check the airport code on your ticket
Maiquetía is CCS. Some international flights leave from Valencia (VLN) or Barcelona (BLA): ALAV counts about 60 a week from airports in the interior Reported. Laser moved its operations to Barcelona in August Reported.
Arrive early
Two hours for domestic flights and three for international ones Official. If you connect an international flight to a domestic one (to Los Roques, Canaima or Margarita), leave a margin between them.
Bring water and a snack
There are no cafés in the temporary terminal, as far as we found.
Carry US dollars in cash
ATMs do not work with foreign cards, and the U.S. warns of more risk around ATMs near the airport Official. See what you need to travel to Venezuela.
Arrange your pickup before you leave
Give the person meeting you your flight number. People meeting you wait in a 1,000 m² outdoor area Official.

How do I get from Maiquetía to Caracas?

The airport is about 22.5 km from Plaza Bolívar in Caracas, and the drive takes about 28 minutes without traffic Reported (calculated on OpenStreetMap). Real time is usually longer.

The route is the Caracas–La Guaira highway. On July 1 the transport minister said all its sections had been inspected and were working normally, that its viaducts and tunnels are monitored daily, and that the roof of the Boquerón 2 tunnel had a surface tear to be repaired at night Reported. We found no more recent report and no current closure: ask about the state of the road on the day you travel.

Taxis. Canada advises against taking taxis at the airport Official and the U.S. warns of more risk with unregulated taxis Official. We found no verified fare in dollars, so we do not give one: if someone quotes you a price, agree it in writing before you get in. The safest option is a pickup from your guesthouse, hotel or tour operator. Details are in is Venezuela safe to visit?.

Valencia and Barcelona: if your flight does not leave from Maiquetía

Airport	Code	To Plaza Bolívar, Caracas
Maiquetía (Simón Bolívar)	CCS	22.5 km · 0.5 h
Valencia (Arturo Michelena)	VLN	175 km · 2.4 h
Barcelona (José Antonio Anzoátegui)	BLA	311 km · 5.2 h

These are calculations on OpenStreetMap, without traffic or roadworks Reported. If your ticket says Valencia or Barcelona, expect a drive of several hours, especially if you land at night, because it is best to travel by day.

When does the airport return to normal?

There is no date yet. On Sept 16 the BAER president said there is no defined date for returning to the original facilities, and named building 6 as one of the areas still to be recovered Reported. On Sept 10 the transport minister said he expected to recover some part of the airport in the first half of 2027, and that before then it would not be in service even partially Reported. The project also includes a remodel to gain space, not just repairs.

What we don’t know

The fare of a taxi or private transfer: there is no verified source.
Which hotels near the airport and in La Guaira are open today: La Guaira’s coast was among the hardest hit and we did not verify them.
Whether the temporary terminal’s services changed after Sept 2: we found no later official note on shops or cafés.
A single capacity figure: the ones in circulation measure different things.

This page is reviewed every month while the recovery lasts. Changes are logged in the updates log.

If you continue your trip from Maiquetía

To see which airlines fly to Caracas today, read flights to Venezuela: airlines, routes and dates. Flights to Los Roques, to Canaima and Angel Falls and to Margarita Island leave from this airport or connect through it. To work out trip costs, use the trip budget calculator.

Questions people ask

Is Maiquetía airport open?

Yes. It reopened on Tuesday, Sept 1, 2026, in modular temporary terminals open 24 hours, after the double earthquake of June 24. There is no date yet for returning to the original terminals.

How many flights a week does Maiquetía have?

178, according to the airline association ALAV on Nov 3, 2026. Before the quakes it had 260 weekly frequencies, so the airport handles about 68% of its former traffic.

How early should I arrive at Maiquetía?

Two hours for domestic flights and three for international ones, per the Ministry of Transport recommendation of Sept 1, 2026.

How far is Maiquetía airport from central Caracas?

About 22.5 km and roughly 28 minutes without traffic, by our calculation on OpenStreetMap to Plaza Bolívar. Real time depends on traffic and roadworks on the highway.

Are there shops or cafés in the temporary terminal?

Not when it reopened: trade press reported air conditioning, Wi-Fi, restrooms, waiting areas and vending machines, but no shops or cafés. We found no later report that changes this, so bring water and a snack.

When does Maiquetía return to its original buildings?

No date is set, the president of BAER said on Sept 16, 2026. The transport minister expected to recover some part of the airport in the first half of 2027.

Sources checked on November 10, 2026

Something changed or looks wrong? Send us a correction.