American Airlines said it has received approval to resume regular flights to Venezuela, a step the airline described as restarting service that ended in 2019. The company said it will become the first U.S. airline to resume flights to Venezuela, moving toward restoring commercial scheduling after years of halted travel between the two countries.
The airline said it announced in January its intent to restore service to Venezuela. That announcement came the same day President Donald Trump ordered the Transportation Department to open up commercial airspace over Venezuela after a U.S. military raid that ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
American Airlines’ plan arrives even as the State Department continues to warn Americans not to travel to Venezuela. In Wednesday’s update, the airline said the U.S. government cleared the way for it to begin scheduling flights to the country despite the ongoing travel warning.
The details of which routes or schedules American Airlines will operate between the United States and Venezuela were not immediately available, the airline said. The announcement referenced business and personal travel opportunities for people on both sides of the relationship, including the chance for Venezuelans and Americans to reunite with families and pursue new business opportunities.
American Airlines was the last U.S. airline flying to Venezuela before it suspended service in 2019. At the time, it halted flights between Miami and Caracas, as well as flights involving the oil hub city of Maracaibo.
The restoration of commercial air travel also reflects the broader policy shift that preceded the airline’s decision, after the U.S. moved to open Venezuela’s commercial airspace. The move builds on the reopening airspace direction Trump outlined earlier as MSI previously covered.