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The first commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela arrived Thursday in the South American country, seven years after the US Department of Homeland Security ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns.
The resumption of non-stop commercial flights between the two countries comes months after the US kidnapped then-president Nicolás Maduro in a dramatic overnight raid on his Caracas home in early January.
It also comes a month after the US officially reopened its embassy in the capital following the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
“I’m really excited to go see family and I’m looking forward to seeing the country,” said passenger Lennart Ochoa of Miami shortly before boarding. He said he was “ready to go” and got his ticket right away.
“Going to see family on a direct flight from Miami to Caracas is priceless,” he said.
The director of the US National Energy Dominance Council, Jarrod Agen, was among the passengers on the first flight. Agen is scheduled to meet with Venezuelan officials and executives from the energy and mining sectors as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to facilitate the entry of US companies into the South American country, the Venezuelan government said.
At Miami International Airport, American Airlines employees handed out small Venezuelan flags to passengers. Balloons in the colors of the flag – yellow, blue and red – decorated the gate leading to the plane.
Flight AA3599, operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, departed Miami at 10:11 a.m. ET, five minutes ahead of schedule, according to Miami International Airport’s flight information. It arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport about three hours later and returned to Florida in the afternoon.
Earlier, the airline said the second daily flight between Miami and Caracas will start on May 21.
Trump has signaled that change is coming
In late January, US President Donald Trump said he had informed Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, that he would open all trade zones in the country, allowing Americans to visit.
“American citizens will soon be able to go to Venezuela, and they will be safe there,” Trump said at the time.
The flights mark the resumption of non-stop travel between the US and Venezuela for the first time since diplomatic relations were severed in 2019. For the past seven years, passengers have relied on international flights and indirect routes to neighboring Latin American countries.
In January, when the airline announced the resumption of flights, it said it would give customers a chance to reunite with families and pursue new business opportunities.
American Airlines was the last US airline to fly to Venezuela. It has suspended flights in 2019 between Miami and Caracas, as well as flights to the oil hub city of Maracaibo. Delta and United Airlines pulled out in 2017 amid a political crisis that forced millions to flee the country.
“Parents will be able to connect with children, grandparents and grandchildren, and all the families who have a home that raised them and raised them,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a press conference before the ride began.
Miami-Dade is home to the largest Venezuelan community in the US, he said.
