Commercial flights from the United States to Venezuela took off for the first time in nearly seven years after Donald Trump lifted the travel ban that had been in place since 2019.
On 30 Apr 2026 GMT+7, a commercial passenger plane departed from the United States bound for Venezuela for the first time in nearly seven years, as both countries work to restore economic relations following the ousting of Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
The inaugural flight by American Airlines took less than 3.5 hours, departing Miami at 10:16 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) and landing at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas at 1:36 p.m. local time. The return flight to Miami was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
American Airlines stated that they are the first U.S. airline to resume daily flights to Venezuela, operating the route with an Embraer 175 aircraft managed by Envoy, a wholly owned subsidiary of the airline.
The atmosphere at Miami International Airport before departure was filled with excitement, with loud music playing at the boarding gate on Thursday morning. A TSA officer looked at a boarding pass and told CNN, “Caracas? I haven’t seen that destination in a very long time.”
Approximately two-thirds of the seats on the plane were occupied, mostly by journalists and government officials.
American Airlines announced its intention to resume flights to Venezuela in January, the same day U.S. President Donald Trump instructed the Department of Transportation to take steps to restore air service to Venezuela.
Ticket prices to Caracas vary depending on the departure date, ticket type, and route. A check on American Airlines’ website shows round-trip fares departing Miami in early May and returning in late May priced above $1,000 USD (approximately 32,500 baht).
The United States banned passenger and cargo flights to Venezuela in 2019 due to political tensions between the two countries. However, after U.S. forces attempted to capture Maduro in Caracas on 3 Jan, both sides gradually improved diplomatic and economic relations, leading Trump to lift the flight ban two weeks ago.
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Source:CNN