Venezuela's aviation agency is cutting the number of flights it will allow US airlines to and from the country, an aviation official said Thursday.

Venezuela's National Civil Aviation Institute has informed American, Continental and Delta Air Lines that they will be allowed fewer flights to Venezuela starting September 28, the official said.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to comment on the matter.

Flight warning

The move came three days after the US Transportation Security Administration warned travellers that it can't vouch for the security of flights to the US from Venezuela because its government has refused to allow US officials to assess security measures at its airports.

Venezuelan aviation agency president Jose Martinez Bravo told the airlines the measure is necessary due to an "imbalance" in the number of United States-bound flights operated by US airlines, com-pared to a smaller number of flights flown by Venezuelan carriers, the Venezuelan official told The Associated Press.

Martinez also said in the message that the TSA "insists on maintaining a line of slander" toward Venezuela, the official said.

American Airlines, Delta and Continental operate 80 per cent of the weekly flights between Venezuela and the United States.

It remains unclear how the measure may affect air travel. Seats on flights between Venezuela and the United States have been in high demand recently, requiring travellers to reserve tickets well ahead of time or pay a higher fare.

TSA officials have said that Venezuela's refusal to grant US inspectors access to assess security at its airports is flouting a condition that all other countries have complied with since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The TSA this week ordered airlines that fly between the US and Venezuela to state in writing for passengers that Venezuela does not comply with internat-ional aviation security standards.

Martinez denies that Venezuela blocks US officials from visiting its airports, but says they are not permitted to evaluate airport security.

The US agency only has the authority to evaluate its own airlines' operations, he said, insisting that Venezuela is complying with standard inter-national security procedures.

- AP