Flights to and from this airport are serving as an alternative to Simón Bolívar Airport in Maiquetía, the country's main airport, which is currently closed due to structural damage from the earthquakes that struck the country on 24 June.

"We are going to resume TAP flights. Next Monday, TAP will fly to Valencia, resuming a weekly flight, with the aim of eventually reaching two flights per week," Emídio Sousa told Lusa.

The Secretary of State explained that "TAP's return to Venezuela will also bring approximately seven and a half tons of pharmaceutical products made available by the Ministry of Health" from Portuguese pharmaceutical companies.

"There are many people who want to come and others who want to leave, so TAP's return to Valencia airport next week is good news for everyone wishing to travel. There are a number of developments on the ground that we are monitoring, encouraging, and helping to bring about," he said.

Visiting Venezuela

On 8 July, Emídio Sousa began a four-day visit to Venezuela, where he toured the state of La Guaira, the region hardest hit by the earthquakes, and met with the Portuguese search-and-rescue team, diplomatic officials, and members of the local Portuguese community.

"In the coming days, I will be in contact with Venezuelan authorities to identify priority aid needs, discuss the future, consider reconstruction efforts, and assure them that Portugal will always stand by the Venezuelan people, just as it has done so far. For us, Venezuela is not just any country; it is a sister nation. We want to be involved in humanitarian aid and in supporting Venezuela's development, including its future economic growth, because we believe the country has everything it takes to become a great nation and to improve the quality of life for both Venezuelans and the many Portuguese people living here," he said.

This marks Emídio Sousa's second visit to Caracas this year—"this one, unfortunately," he noted, "due to the tragedy Venezuela has suffered."

Emídio Sousa further emphasised that, in addition to humanitarian aid, Portugal has already made 400,000 euros available to support two projects to be carried out by Caritas and Oikos, which aim to assist 1,500 families.

The earthquakes in Venezuela

The earthquakes recorded in Venezuela on 24 June caused at least 3,811 deaths and 16,740 injuries, according to the latest official figures.

The death toll includes at least 102 Portuguese nationals and individuals of Portuguese descent, while another 57 remain missing or unreachable.

Several countries, including Portugal and other European Union member states, have sent search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela.

The Portuguese earthquake response mission is based in Catia la Mar, in La Guaira—an area with a large population of Portuguese nationals and people of Portuguese descent, and one of the hardest-hit regions.

The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck 200 kilometres from Caracas less than a minute apart and were followed by more than 1,100 aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey.