By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) – U.S. passenger air service to Venezuela resumed on Thursday morning after seven years, with the first American Airlines flight departing for Caracas from Miami, according to the airline.
American is resuming daily service to Venezuela, offering flights on an Embraer 175 through Envoy, its wholly owned regional subsidiary. It plans to add a second daily flight starting May 21. The first flight, which includes government officials and reporters, is set to land on Thursday afternoon.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy lifted a 2019 order in January that had barred U.S. airlines from flying to Venezuela, after President Donald Trump directed him to do so, and then in March approved American’s request for flights.
The Transportation Security Administration was in Caracas in March to review airport security procedures, a necessary step to resume flights.
American announced plans to resume service weeks after the U.S. military seized the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.
American, which started operating in Venezuela in 1987, was the largest U.S. airline in the country before it suspended its service in 2019 after the U.S. ban. It said the planned daily flights will provide opportunities for business, leisure and humanitarian travel.
The State Department lifted Venezuela from its “Do Not Travel” list for Americans in March, issuing a less serious “Reconsider Travel” advisory due to risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Rod Nickel)
