United States and Venezuela is set to land in Caracas on Thursday, marking the resumption of air travel between the two countries after a seven-year suspension ordered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over security concerns.
The restoration of flights follows a series of major diplomatic developments, including the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro in a nighttime operation at his Caracas residence earlier this year.
It also comes about a month after Washington officially reopened its embassy in Caracas, following the re-establishment of full diplomatic relations between both countries.
Flight AA3599, operated by Envoy Air (a subsidiary of American Airlines), is scheduled to depart Miami at 10:16 a.m. local time, arriving in Caracas about three hours later before returning to Florida in the afternoon, according Associated Press.
The airline also announced plans to add a second daily Miami–Caracas flight starting May 21, expanding the newly resumed service.
In late January, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had informed Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, that U.S. commercial airspace over Venezuela would be reopened, a move he said would allow Americans to travel there again.
“American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there,” Trump said at the time.
The flights mark the resumption of nonstop travel between the United States and Venezuela for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 2019. For the past seven years, travellers have relied on international carriers and indirect routes through other Latin American countries to reach either destination.
In January, when the airline announced the restart of services, it said the move would allow customers to reconnect with family members and explore new business opportunities.
American Airlines was the last U.S. carrier operating in Venezuela before the suspension.
It halted its Miami–Caracas service, along with flights to the oil city of Maracaibo, in 2019 following the broader shutdown of U.S.–Venezuela air links
