Yes, you can smoke at Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) in Maiquetía — outdoors, on the landside area outside the terminal building, before security. No smoking facility is confirmed in the temporary terminals now in use after the 2026 earthquake; open-air smoking outside them, landside, is permitted under national law.
A magnitude-7.2/7.5 earthquake doublet struck northern Venezuela on 24 June 2026, severely damaging the airport and forcing an indefinite closure. The Instituto Aeropuerto Internacional de Maiquetía (IAIM) built reinforced-metal modular terminals in the weeks that followed, ran pilot tests through August, and reopened commercial service on 1 September 2026 — around ten weeks after the earthquake. International and domestic services have been resuming since, and the airport is still rebuilding.
Outside the Terminal: The Only Option
Smoking at CCS happens outdoors, at the landside area outside the terminal doors. The temporary terminals — with a combined capacity of a little over 2,000 people across check-in, immigration, customs, baggage claim, seating, vending machines, bathrooms and medical service — do not list a smoking facility: no smoking facility is confirmed in the temporary terminals, and open-air smoking outside them, landside, is permitted under Venezuela’s Resolution No. 030 (2011), which keeps indoor public places, workplaces and public transport smoke-free.
After Security: Nothing Confirmed
A dated 2023 traveller report described the terminal interior as smoke-free, with smoking confined to outside the building, and none of IAIM’s announcements about the temporary terminals mention a smoking area past the checkpoint. Plan on a smoke-free wait once you clear security and immigration.
Vaping Is Banned Outright
Venezuela’s Resolution No. 414 (2023) prohibits e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products nationwide, not just indoors. There is no vaping workaround at CCS or anywhere else in the country; the outdoor smoking area outside the terminal is for tobacco only.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor (terminal) | No | Smoke-free under Resolution No. 030 (2011); no room in the temporary terminals |
| After security / airside | No | No smoking facility confirmed in the temporary terminals |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Outside the temporary terminal buildings, before security |
| Vaping | Banned nationwide | Resolution No. 414 (2023) bans e-cigarettes outright |
For Venezuela’s airport smoking rules, see our Venezuela airport guide.