German airline Lufthansa says it is suspending its flights to Caracas, citing the difficult economic situation in Venezuela.

Lufthansa spokesman Andreas Bartels said Sunday that the company is suspending its three weekly Frankfurt-Caracas flights "until further notice" from June 17. He cited Venezuela's economic situation and difficulties in transferring currency.

Venezuela's economy shrank 5.7 percent last year while shortages of basic goods multiplied.

Currency rationing is increasingly cutting Venezuela's global trade. The government has created what amount to subsidized rates for hard currency and requires companies to get approval for converting local bolivars into dollars.