(This version updates with a quote from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.)
After seven years, the first direct commercial flight from the U.S. to Venezuela took off the morning of Thursday, April 30.
The flight operated by Envoy Air, an American Airlines subsidiary, left Miami International Airport for Caracas at 10:11 a.m. It was scheduled to arrive shortly after 1 p.m. before returning to Florida later in the afternoon.
“Parents will be able to connect with children, grandparents with grandchildren, and entire families with a home that shaped and raised them,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference before boarding started. “Miami-Dade is home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States.”
The scene at the Miami airport before departure was a celebration, according to CNN. Music was playing from speakers, arepas, a staple Venezuelan dish of arepas was being served and the boarding area was decorated with balloons the color of the Venezuelan flag. A photo showed the pilots waving American and Venezuelan flags out the cockpit windows.
“Today is about more than just another flight — it’s a critical milestone in strengthening the United States relationship with Venezuela and unleashing economic opportunity in both countries,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a press release.
“I am proud of our department’s work behind the scenes to make this inaugural flight come to life, and I want to thank American Airlines for their continued commitment to servicing this essential aviation artery. Under President Trump’s historic leadership, the future of air travel between the United States and Venezuela has never been brighter. We can’t wait to expand on this progress and bring more flights online in the coming months.”
When were flights given the OK to fly directly between U.S. and Venezuela?
In January, President Donald Trump said he would allow flights to resume between the two countries seven years after the U.S. Homeland Security Department ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns.
“American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there,” Trump said at the time.
Trump’s declaration came shortly after the U.S. captured then Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro in a nighttime raid. The reinstation of flights also follows the U.S. formally reopened its embassy in Caracas following the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Why were U.S. airlines blocked from flying to Venezuela?
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, during Trump’s first term, suspended “all commercial passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela” because of “the ongoing political instability and increased tensions in Venezuela and associated inadvertent risk to flight operations,” according to a statement.
In January, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rescinded the order soon after the Trump administration captured Maduro. Trump in January asked USDOT to lift restrictions that currently bar U.S. flights after a discussion with the country’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
C. A. Bridges a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida contributed to this report.
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: After 7 years, direct flights resume from U.S. to Venezuela from Miami
Reporting by Michelle Spitzer, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
