Direct US-Venezuela Passenger Flights Resume After 7-Year Halt

Seven years after direct links were cut amid political turmoil that drove millions from their homes, the first U.S. commercial passenger flight in that span landed in Caracas on Thursday. Families long separated by circuitous routes through third countries can now meet without layovers. Businesses sense openings in an oil-rich economy newly courting foreign capital. The flight is one visible thread in a rapid shift: Nicolás Maduro's removal from power, restored diplomatic ties, and an interim government in Caracas choosing cooperation over confrontation with Washington.

Flight AA3599, operated by Envoy Air as an American Airlines subsidiary, left Miami at 10:16 a.m. local time, touched down three hours later, and was scheduled to return the same day. The carrier plans a second daily Miami-Caracas round trip beginning May 21, according to its announcements. American was the last major U.S. airline serving Venezuela before suspending routes in 2019; Delta and United had pulled out two years earlier as the crisis deepened. For most of the past seven years travelers depended on indirect flights through Panama, Colombia or other neighbors.

The resumption follows events that few predicted even months ago. In early January 2026, U.S. forces captured Maduro in a nighttime raid on his Caracas residence, according to multiple reports including those cited by both AP and Newsmax. Delcy Rodríguez, previously a Maduro ally, emerged as acting president. The U.S. embassy in Caracas formally reopened last month after full diplomatic relations were restored on March 5. In late January, President Donald Trump stated that he had spoken with Rodríguez and would reopen commercial airspace, adding that "American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there," according to the AP-sourced articles.

Yet the picture is more layered than simple restoration. A cargo flight by Amerijet International had already operated directly from the United States to Caracas on April 20, ten days before the passenger service, as confirmed by the carrier's own announcements and referenced in other coverage. The original flight suspensions stemmed from State Department, DOT and FAA actions tied to safety risks during the Maduro era, including crime and arbitrary detentions, rather than a standalone Department of Homeland Security order as both outlets stated. Rodríguez herself had been under U.S. sanctions from 2018 until her delisting on April 2, 2026, for actions the Treasury Department linked to undermining democracy and ties to repressive security forces. As of late March the State Department still maintained a Level 3 "Reconsider Travel" advisory citing crime, kidnapping, civil unrest and terrorism risks.

The Trump administration opted to work with Rodríguez rather than elements of the traditional opposition, a choice that surprised many Venezuelans. She has replaced key Maduro-era officials, pitched the country's energy sector to investors, and agreed to international arbitration on contracts. Thousands protested low wages and living conditions in Caracas as recently as April 9, with police deploying tear gas. Whether this de-escalation produces lasting stability, free elections or broad-based economic recovery remains the central unanswered question. One passenger flight does not resolve it, but it makes the stakes concrete for families, airlines and governments on both sides.