Direct commercial flights between the United States and Venezuela resumed after a seven-year gap, marking a significant reopening of aviation links between the two countries.
An American Airlines flight from Miami landed in Caracas yesterday, for the first time since 2019 after the United States imposed a ban on passenger and cargo flights to the country amid escalating political instability and security concerns.
US officials said the restart follows improved aviation safety conditions, allowing authorities to lift the earlier ban. The move is seen as part of a broader normalisation of relations after years of strained diplomatic ties and disrupted travel, with officials describing it as a boost for economic and people-to-people connectivity.
The resumption of nonstop service comes months after the US capture of then President Nicolás Maduro in January and a month after Washington formally reopened its embassy in Caracas following the restoration of full diplomatic ties.
Flight AA3599, operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, was scheduled to depart Miami at 10:16 am EDT and arrive in the Venezuelan capital around three hours later, before returning to Florida in the afternoon.