A commercial airliner will take off from the United States for the first time in nearly seven years on Thursday morning for Venezuela, as the two countries continue to restore economic ties after the country’s powerful leader was ousted in January.
American Airlines’ first flight, which will last just under 3.5 hours, will depart from Miami to Caracas at 10:16 a.m. ET on Thursday and land at Simón Bolivar International Airport at 1:36 p.m. local time. We plan to return to Miami later that afternoon.
American Airlines announced it will become the first U.S. airline to resume daily service to the South American country using Embraer 175 dual-class aircraft operated by its wholly owned subsidiary, Envoy.
The airline announced its intention to resume operations in January, the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump directed the Department of Transportation to take steps to resume air service to Venezuela.
American Airlines, once considered the largest U.S. airline operating in Venezuela, ceased operations in 2019 when the U.S. banned passenger and cargo flights to the country.
The United States formally rescinded the ban two weeks ago after the Department of Homeland Security determined that “the situation in Venezuela no longer threatens the safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew.”
It came months after U.S. forces carried out a deadly raid in Caracas to capture and oust Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.
Since then, the United States has gradually normalized diplomatic and economic relations with the Venezuelan proxy government led by Maduro’s former vice president and interim president Delcy Rodríguez.
Under pressure from the United States, Mr. Rodriguez passed a series of political and economic reforms, including an amnesty law that released hundreds of political prisoners and a hydrocarbon law that made it easier for foreign companies to join the country’s oil industry.
Meanwhile, the United States has eased sanctions previously imposed on Venezuelan companies, opening the door to further integration with global markets and increased foreign exchange earnings.
Venezuela’s economy is still struggling to recover from years of misgovernment, but Rodriguez insisted the situation will improve in the coming months, saying he expects more jobs and higher incomes.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are an estimated 764,000 Venezuelan immigrants living in the United States as of mid-2024.
Liz Rebeca Alarcón, a Venezuelan-American entrepreneur in the Miami area who founded the media outlet Project Parso, welcomed the resumption of flights.
“Anything that brings the diaspora closer to the Venezuelan people is positive news,” she says. “We hope that American Airlines tickets are reasonably priced and that these changes are part of the transition to democracy that we all want to see.”
In January, the United States outlined a three-phase plan to Venezuela to ensure the country’s stabilization, recovery, and democratic transition.
But Venezuela’s proxy government has shown little sign of relinquishing power or calling for new elections. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said earlier this month that “elections can be held any day and on that day the revolutionary forces will be ready to win as they have won before.”
Venezuela’s opposition said it was preparing for that moment. On Tuesday, opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Colina Machado announced on Piers Morgan Uncensored her intention to run for president if elections are held.
“Indeed, I offer myself…so that the Venezuelan people are free to choose what we want,” she said.
Mr. Machado has been meeting directly with world leaders, including Mr. Trump, over the past few months to show goodwill and drum up support.
