THE HAGUE--The Kingdom Council of Ministers was reportedly behind the decision to deny landing permission in Curaçao to a private aircraft carrying Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, according to Dutch broadcaster NOS, placing renewed focus on how the Kingdom handled the politically sensitive flight. The issue, however, is still shrouded.
The development follows comments from Leiden University professor Wouter Veenendaal, who specializes in relations within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Veenendaal said he could not prove outside influence, but raised the possibility that The Hague may have come under pressure from the United States over Machado’s attempted return to Venezuela.
Machado had been scheduled to travel from Panama to Curaçao on September 22 aboard a private aircraft. Curaçao’s Civil Aviation Authority refused landing permission after what its director, Peter Steinmetz, described as a request “from higher up.” Steinmetz did not identify who issued the request.
A separate attempt to fly Machado to Aruba on the same day also failed. At the time, journalists traveling with her were reportedly told that paperwork issues were responsible for the cancellations.
Curaçao Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas has declined to say who made the request, while Transport Minister Charles Cooper has stated that it did not come from him. Authorities in both Curaçao and the Netherlands have also not fully clarified who initiated the instruction.
The matter is further complicated by the constitutional structure of the Kingdom. Curaçao manages its own civil aviation affairs, while foreign policy falls under the Kingdom. According to NOS, the decision was taken by the Kingdom Council of Ministers, where representatives of the Caribbean countries participate alongside the Dutch government on Kingdom matters.
Dutch State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eric van der Burg described the matter as a very delicate situation and indicated that Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen would address it. Berendsen attended a Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting on September 25, three days after the aircraft was denied permission to land.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has also declined to rule out Dutch involvement, adding to questions over where the instruction originated and whether the decision was driven by wider foreign policy considerations.
What remains unclear is whether the original request came from the Netherlands, Curaçao, another government within the Kingdom, or an outside government. The lack of a clear public explanation has kept attention on the chain of decision-making behind the flight refusal.
Machado’s team says she has made several attempts to return to Venezuela.
Her movements have attracted international attention because of the broader political situation in Venezuela and the role foreign governments continue to play in the country’s political transition.
