American Airlines announced Thursday it plans to reinstate nonstop service between the U.S. and Venezuela, signaling a broader thaw in commercial and travel ties between the two nations.
The carrier said it is ready to resume its daily service to the country once it gets government approval. This would make it the first U.S. carrier to announce plans to reconnect Venezuela with nonstop service to the U.S.
The Texas-based airline said it will share additional details about its return to service in the coming months and that it is working closely with federal authorities “on all necessary permissions and security assessments” prior to doing so.
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American’s announcement comes as President Donald Trump announced that the commercial airspace over Venezuela would reopen following the Federal Aviation Administration’s emergency notice earlier this month to block civil flight operations of U.S. aircraft in Venezuela airspace.
The notice was issued as the U.S. conducted strikes in Venezuela and captured dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has said that the U.S. would run Venezuela until a peaceful transition could occur and is working to restore diplomatic relations with Caracas, Venezuela.
“I just spoke to the president of Venezuela and informed her that we’re going to be opening up all commercial airspace over Venezuela,” Trump said Thursday during a Cabinet meeting. “American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there and be safe. It’s under very strong control.”
Trump said that he’s instructed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the U.S. military to open the airspace over Venezuela by the end of Thursday.
American first suspended service in the country in 2019 due to the deteriorating security situation, pilot safety concerns and rising political tensions. It was one of many major carriers that decided to stop operating flights in the country. American, according to reports, was the last of them to stop operations there.
Before that, American had been operating in the nation since 1987.
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What this means for travelers
Clint Henderson, managing editor of travel website The Points Guy, said travelers shouldn’t get too excited about this just yet because there are many legal, governmental and security hoops that need to be jumped through before flights can actually commence.
Henderson also warned that unions are another hurdle as they will weigh in too “as the safety of flight crews will be paramount.”
However, he does believe that travelers could eventually see a Miami-to-Caracas flight if relations improve enough.
This “air service would open incredible opportunities for business travel and for family reunions,” Henderson said. “If American investment in Venezuela’s important energy markets surges, air traffic would be a key enabler of business. Venezuela’s deteriorated infrastructure also opens up many possibilities for business travel.”
This could be a huge opportunity for airlines.
“New airlift would also help reestablish Venezuela as a tourism hot spot for Americans. Venezuela used to be a popular destination for American tourists,” he added.
FOX News’ Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
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