The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela in seven years is scheduled to take off on Thursday, marking a significant step in the thawing of relations following Washington's removal of leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.
Flight Details and Ceremonial Send-off
The American Airlines flight is set to depart from Miami at 10:16 a.m. (1416 GMT) bound for Caracas. To commemorate the occasion, representatives from the U.S. government, the City of Miami, and the Venezuelan ambassador to Washington, Felix Plasencia, will greet passengers before the flight leaves Gate D55. Media are expected to be present when the flight lands at Simon Bolivar Airport, also known as Maiquetia, over three hours later.
Special Inaugural Menu
The inaugural flights will feature a special Venezuelan menu, including corn pancakes called cachapas and a Venezuelan-style chicken salad with mayonnaise, according to the airline.
Background and Political Context
The resumption of flights comes after a period of severe tension. On January 3, U.S. forces conducted a raid in Caracas, capturing Maduro and flying him to New York to face drug trafficking charges, which he denies. He was replaced by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has largely cooperated with the United States despite her ideological background. President Donald Trump has expressed satisfaction with her policies toward U.S. companies and has threatened violence to enforce compliance.
Venezuela has moved to open its oil and mining sectors to private investment, and Trump has begun easing sanctions, including removing those imposed personally on Rodriguez.
Impact on Venezuelan Community and Business
Approximately 1.2 million Venezuelans live in the United States. The thaw is expected to increase U.S. business presence in Venezuela, which holds the world's largest proven gas reserves. However, Trump has also been aggressively removing Venezuelans from the U.S., ending a program that shielded migrants from deportation to the crime-ridden nation.
Flight Operations and Future Plans
American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air will operate the flight daily between Caracas and Miami, a key hub for Venezuelans and other Latin Americans. The company plans to start a second daily round-trip flight beginning May 21. American Airlines, headquartered in Texas, began flights to Venezuela in 1987 and once carried the highest number of passengers between the two countries. It ceased operations in 2019 as relations deteriorated after Maduro's election was deemed illegitimate.
Travel Advisory Update
The State Department continues to advise Americans to reconsider travel to Venezuela due to widespread crime, but in March it ended its blanket warning against any travel. The new flight resumes despite challenges in the aviation industry, which has been affected by a sharp rise in oil prices after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
