Venezuela - Airline Banned by Europe - NYTimes.com Venezuela's state-run airline, Conviasa, has been banned from flying to countries in the European Union because of safety concerns, European transportation regulators said Tuesday. The airline's only European destination was Madrid. Most of its flights are within Venezuela but it also flies to Bogotá, Colombia; Buenos Aires; and several Caribbean islands. A report by the European Commission said that the Spanish authorities found "numerous serious safety deficiencies" during inspections of Conviasa planes. The report also cited two fatal accidents involving Conviasa flights, including one in 2010 that, according to news reports, killed 17 people. It said that Conviasa failed to show it had taken adequate steps to prevent future accidents. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry rejected the action as disproportionate.