Air France Saturday announced it was suspending flights to crisis-hit Venezuela ahead of a controversial weekend election called by President Nicolas Maduro that has provoked deadly violence and international criticism.

[PARIS] Air France Saturday announced it was suspending flights to crisis-hit Venezuela ahead of a controversial weekend election called by President Nicolas Maduro that has provoked deadly violence and international criticism.

The carrier said it had been monitoring the situation and that flights would be halted from July 30 through to August 1.

"The safety of customers and staff is a priority," Air France said in a short statement to AFP.

AFP