Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s decision to temporarily suspend Copa Airline’s flights to and from the troubled OPEC country will hurt Venezuelans more than the regional carrier, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said on Friday. Maduro targeted Copa along with other Panamanian companies, Varela himself and other government officials one week after Panama put Maduro and some 50 Venezuelan nationals on a list of those considered “high risk” for money laundering and financing terrorism. In announcing its action on Thursday, Venezuela said those on its list pose a risk to its financial systems. Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors, escalating tensions between the countries. On Friday, Varela said Venezuelans would be the real victims of the move on Copa. “Panama is a logistic route,” he said. “Venezuelans rely on Panama to supply medicine and food that they lack.” Recently, various international airlines have abandoned Venezuela, citing insecurity and currency issues, which make it hard for them to repatriate profits. Copa was one of the few that continued operating flights, and its temporary suspension further isolates the country.<br/>
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Air China exercised its fifth freedom rights with an April 5 inaugural flight of its first direct Beijing-Panama City route—via Houston, Texas after receiving approval from the US DoT. The opening of the route comes after the signing of a bilateral civil air traffic rights agreement between Panama and China in November 2017, which opened the door for additional Chinese airlines to launch service to the Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport, increasingly Latin America’s most crucial hub. Air China is the first Chinese carrier to serve Tocumen. Chengdu-based Sichuan Airlines is considering opening a Panama route. Air China will operate 2X-weekly Boeing 777-300ER service on the full Beijing-Houston-Panama City route for at least one year. The airline now flies 4X-weekly service between Beijing and Houston.<br/>
Chicago has become one of the newest dots on Ethiopian Airlines' global flight map. The carrier is set to begin flying from O’Hare International Airport on June 10, offering three flights a week to its hub near Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa. The flight from Chicago is scheduled for 13 hours, 45 minutes and will be the only non-stop service connecting Chicago to Africa. The return Chicago-bound flight stops in Dublin on its way from Addis Ababa. Ethiopian will use Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliners” for the flights. Ethiopian says Chicago customers will be able to connect via Addis Ababa to more than 55 destinations across Africa. Chicago O’Hare will become the fourth US destination for Ethiopian, which has flown to the US since 1998. <br/>