The Venezuelan government says it will delay a ban on flights by most U.S. airlines until March 30 in order to allow both sides further time to negotiate.

The ban is in response to a move by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 1996 to restrict some flights by Venezuelan carriers into the U.S., after the agency said the country did not meet international safety standards.

Flights operated by Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines were set to be banned beginning on March 1, while American Airlines would have been forced to operate restricted flights. The restrictions would also have affected UPS, Geminis Air Cargo, Tradewinds, Atlas Air, Amerijet, Arrow Air, Centurion Air Cargo, and Florida West.

The FAA said the one-month postponement “will allow communication channels to be established between the competent authorities in order to guarantee equal opportunities in air operations for both Venezuela and North American airlines.”<