Venezuelan carrier Laser Airlines has persisted in attempts to establish passenger-carrying service to Miami, recently filing an updated request for a foreign air carrier permit with US authorities.
The 23 January filing with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) represents the latest in a long series of attempts by Laser to establish service to the USA, dating back to 2011.
“Laser remains committed to serving the United States market,” the airline says.
The application describes envisioned passenger routes between the Venezuelan capitol of Caracas – in addition to Valencia and Maracaibo, Venezuela – to Miami.
Laser’s previous applications have identified Fort Lauderdale as another target destination in South Florida.
“Should the authority requested herein be granted, Laser Airlines anticipates launching twice-daily nonstop service to the United States commencing in a period of 90 to 190 days after the corresponding approval,” the airline says.
Laser specifies that flights to Miami would be operated with McDonnell Douglas MD-80s or MD-90s.
The carrier currently operates a fleet of six MD-80s configured to seat 150 passengers, according to data provided by aviation analytics firm Cirium. All of the jets are nearing 40 years of service life.
Laser previously operated, but has since retired, a stable of DC-9s.
Notably, Laser says that it may up-gauge to Boeing 767s in the future, “depending on the success” of its planned US routes.
While much about the diplomatic situation between Venezuela and the USA remains uncertain following Donald Trump’s brazen military operation to decapitate the Venezuelan state by capturing President Nicolas Maduro, other recent developments could work in Laser’s favour.
On 29 January, the Trump administration issued a directive to re-open Venezuelan airspace to commercial flights, reversing the DOT’s suspension of all commercial and cargo flights to Venezuela in May 2019. On the same day, a long-standing NOTAM warning of potentially hazardous situations for operators in Venezuela was lifted.
American Airlines, which operated flights to Venezuela for more than 30 years before the 2019 flight ban went into effect, has plans to become the first US carrier to return to the South American country.
Laser says that the government of Venezuela will authorise it to operate the Caracas-Miami route “as soon as a new air transport services agreement” is in place.
“Laser Airlines will obtain a designation to operate the Valencia-Miami and Maracaibo-Miami routes,” it says.
Laser notes that the DOT has not previously taken action on applications it submitted in 2011, 2018 or 2021.
The airline launched passenger flights in 1994 and has since expanded beyond domestic operations. The carrier’s network within Latin America includes routes to Bogota, Curacao, Santo Domingo, La Romana and Panama City. It also operates flights from Caracas to Madrid using a wet-leased Airbus A330-200.
