American Airlines has secured approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to resume flights to Venezuela, after recently signalling intention to restart service to the South American country.
A 4 March filing with the DOT shows that American has been cleared to fly between Miami and Caracas and Maracaibo. Regional subsidiary Envoy Air will operate the flights on behalf of American.
The Fort Worth-based carrier confirms to FlightGlobal that it plans to launch “daily, non-stop service” to Caracas and Maracaibo, though it does not specify exactly when those flights will begin.
When Envoy touches down in Venezuela, it will likely represent the first USA-to-Venezuela flights operated by a commercial carrier since May 2019, when the DOT suspended all passenger and cargo flights between the countries.
Restarting flights with 65-to-75-seat Embraer 170-family regional jets suggests that American is testing market demand before committing to operating the routes with larger narrowbody aircraft.
American previously operated to Venezuela from 1987 to 2019, but stopped flying to the South American country as diplomatic ties between the Trump administration and Maduro’s regime were severed.
“We have a more than 30-year history connecting [Venezuelans] to the US, and we are ready to renew that incredible relationship,” Nat Pieper, American’s chief commercial officer, said in January.
In late January, following the Trump Adminstration’s decapitation of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s regime, American indicated that it would resume flights to the country as soon as possible.
Less than a month removed from Maduro’s capture, President Donald Trump ordered Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to reopen Venezuelan airspace. Duffy responded on X by saying the DOT would be “clearing the way” for air travel to resume between the two countries.
In light of lifting airspace restrictions, Venezuelan carrier Laser Airlines has renewed attempts to establish passenger-carrying service to Miami, recently filing an updated request for a foreign air carrier permit with US authorities. Laser has been attempting to launch US flights since 2011.
Venezuela’s Avior Airlines has also demonstrated interest in flying to the USA, though an ownership dispute has made the viability of such operations unclear.
