In an unusual move, a new time zone will take effect in South America from the 1st of May. As part of a measure to battle an energy crisis in Venezuela, the president also gave the public sector every Friday off until at least June 6th – to save electricity.
In addition, the entire country will change timezone from UTC -4h30 to UTC-4 from 01MAY, to ensure more daylight in the evening when energy consumption peaks.
At SVMI/Simon Bolivar, Primary radar has been off the air since 04APR – and remains out of service until the end of May – it’s unclear if this is electricity related.
If operating to Venezuela after 01MAY, local time will therefore be 4 hours behind UTC.
More on the topic:
- More: SAFA Ramp Checks: The Findings Nobody Briefs You On
- More: Maps of Misery: Europe Summer Parking Guide 2026
- More: Middle East Airspace – Current Operational Picture
- More: The LPV Issue: Why Europe Has Been Affected While the US Hasn’t
- More: 2026 Updated FAA Oceanic Guides
More reading:
- Latest: SAFA Ramp Checks: The Findings Nobody Briefs You On
- Latest: Maps of Misery: Europe Summer Parking Guide 2026
- Latest: Middle East Airspace – Current Operational Picture
- Safe Airspace: Risk Database
- Weekly Ops Bulletin: Subscribe
- Membership plans: Why join OPSGROUP?
Get the famous weekly 
Thanks Guillermo, you’re right – we’ve updated the article.
The time change is UTC -4 and not UTC -5 as mentioned here, please research and correct the information you are distributing.