The Transportation Department on Wednesday approved American Airlines’ request to operate flights to and from Venezuela, setting the stage for the first U.S. commercial service to the country in about seven years.
American plans to connect Miami with Caracas and Maracaibo. The carrier will operate the routes through its subsidiary Envoy Air.
It was not immediately clear when flights would begin.
The DOT and Department of Homeland Security suspended passenger and cargo flights to and from Venezuela in May 2019, citing risks to customers, air crews, and aircraft. But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy canceled that directive in January, shortly after U.S. military and law enforcement detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Relations between the two countries have improved somewhat since Maduro’s removal, with President Donald Trump telling reporters that he believes he can work with Venezuela’s new leadership.
According to Reuters, TSA staff were recently in Caracas to review airport safety procedures, a necessary step before approvals could be issued.
American was the first U.S. carrier to announce plans to resume service to Venezuela.
