July 5 (Bloomberg) -- Deposed President Manuel Zelaya boarded a plane to Honduras in a bid to resume power as several of his supporters were shot at the main airport and government officials pledged his aircraft wouldn’t be allowed to land.

At least one person was killed. Six people were injured, five by gunshot, according to aid workers at the scene. Telesur, a television network owned by the Venezuelan government, reported that at least two Zelaya supporters were killed.

“Stop this massacre in the name of God,” Zelaya said by phone on Telesur as he flew to Tegucigalpa.

Zelaya, 56, who originally planned to return on July 2, delayed his trip as the Organization of American States and regional leaders tried to reach a compromise. Thousands marched to meet him at the airport in support. The armed forces, lawmakers and courts have rallied behind interim President Roberto Micheletti, who today said “I won’t be pressured by anyone.”

Micheletti, speaking at a press conference this afternoon in Tegucigalpa, said the plane wouldn’t be allowed to land to prevent the dispute from escalating into violence. Micheletti took power June 28 when troops ejected Zelaya from the country.

Zelaya departed from Dulles International Airport outside Washington for Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. He went to the U.S. to attend a meeting by the OAS, which shortly before midnight suspended Honduras’s membership from the regional body, paving the way for possible sanctions.

Presidential Support

The Honduran military has closed the road in front of the presidential palace as well as the road to the international airport in Tegucigalpa. Venezuelan television showed images of military helicopters taking off and landing from the Tegucigalpa airport and vehicles and people on the runway.

Zelaya told Telesur that Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo and OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza would all fly in a separate aircraft to San Salvador, capital of neighboring El Salvador.

The OAS’s reprimand further isolates the transitional government, which has yet to be recognized by any country.

Though the UN, European Union and OAS have condemned the coup, in Honduras, the courts, Congress and business groups have defended the ouster, saying it was necessary to avoid a shift toward a government similar to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Chavez, who said he would hold the new government responsible for anything that happens to Zelaya, said Venezuela has provided the plane he is flying in.

Opposition to Zelaya

More than 10,000 people rallied in support of the transitional government July 2, the largest demonstration so far for the new government.

Opposition to Zelaya grew over the past year as he joined an alliance of socialist countries led by Chavez.

Approval for the Zelaya government fell to 30 percent in February from a high of 57 percent in January 2007, according to a nationwide poll by CID-Gallup.

U.S. President Barack Obama has also called for Zelaya’s reinstatement, and the deposed president’s wife and youngest son are being protected at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Tegucigalpa.

Zelaya may return to Washington as soon as tomorrow should he be barred from landing in the Honduran capital, a U.S. administration official said today on condition of anonymity.

To contact the reporters responsible for this story: To contact the reporters on this story: Steven Bodzin in Caracas at sbodzin@bloomberg.net; Andres R. Martinez in Tegucigalpa at amartinez28@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 5, 2009 19:26 EDT