Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport — Maiquetía, Venezuela

Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport occupies a narrow strip of Caribbean coastline below the mountains that separate it from Caracas, connected to the Venezuelan capital by a dramatic highway that climbs through cloud-wrapped peaks. Named for the South American independence leader, CCS long served as one of Latin America's premier international hubs, welcoming carriers from across the Americas and Europe during the decades when Venezuela's oil wealth fueled heavy business and tourist traffic. Political and economic turmoil in the years following the early 2000s sharply reduced that international footprint, prompting numerous foreign airlines to suspend routes and leaving the airport more reliant on domestic connections and a smaller roster of international carriers than in its heyday. The airport complex includes separate domestic and international terminals near the town of Maiquetía and the port of La Guaira, and its coastal position exposes it to occasional flooding and mudslide risk from the steep terrain above. Even amid reduced schedules, CCS remains Venezuela's principal point of entry for travelers arriving by air.