First U.S.-Venezuela Direct Flight Lands in Caracas After Seven-Year Suspension

The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela in seven years landed in Caracas on Thursday, reopening the Miami–Caracas route after a suspension imposed in 2019.

“The first commercial flight to depart from Miami ends Venezuela's isolation from the United States”

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Multiple outlets described the inaugural service as operating via Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, with flight AA3599 departing Miami at 10:11 a.m. and arriving roughly three hours later.

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The Palm Beach Post said the first direct commercial flight left Miami International Airport for Caracas at 10:11 a.m., scheduled to arrive shortly after 1 p.m. before returning to Florida later in the afternoon.

Al Jazeera reported that Flight AA3599 departed Miami at 10:11am ET (14:11 GMT) five minutes ahead of schedule and arrived in Caracas roughly three hours later, with the return due later in the day.

Euronews said the flight lasted about three hours and was greeted by passengers celebrating the end of years of indirect routes via third countries.

CNN described the inaugural American Airlines flight as lasting just under three hours, departing Miami at 10:26 a.m. ET and landing near Caracas around 1:15 p.m. local time, before returning to Miami later that day.

On arrival, several reports highlighted celebratory scenes, including two Venezuelan fire service trucks hosing the plane on the tarmac, as described by News-Graphic, and a saxophonist playing “Theme from New York, New York,” as CNN reported at Simon Bolivar International Airport.

The resumption of direct flights followed a chain of policy changes tied to the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s earlier suspension.

The Palm Beach Post said the flight suspension was lifted after President Donald Trump announced the change in January, and it traced the original suspension to 2019 when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security suspended “all commercial passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela.”

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In the Palm Beach Post’s account, the Homeland Security statement cited “the ongoing political instability and increased tensions in Venezuela and associated inadvertent risk to flight operations.”

Al Jazeera similarly described the seven-year suspension as imposed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over security concerns, and it linked the resumption to months after Washington’s January operation that led to the abduction of former President Nicolas Maduro.

The Washington Post framed the flight as part of “the series of steps by the Trump administration to reestablish ties” after the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro, noting that the State Department reopened the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and announced general licenses allowing American oil companies to do business in Venezuela.

Euronews said the direct route reopened after years of suspension due to political tensions and air restrictions, and it described the flight as a step in re-establishing air links after the 2019 suspension.

DW described the flight as landing in Caracas “seven years after the US Homeland Security Department indefinitely suspended operations, citing security risks,” and it added that the resumption came after the U.S. captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a nighttime raid in early January and after the U.S. reopened its embassy in the city a month earlier.

The flight’s reopening was accompanied by high-level U.S. and Venezuelan participation and a visible effort to frame the moment as a diplomatic and economic milestone.

“American Airlines reopens the direct route, easing travel for thousands of families and signaling a diplomatic thaw between the United States and Venezuela”

Al Día News

The Palm Beach Post quoted U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy saying, “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,” and it added that Duffy thanked American Airlines for “continued commitment to servicing this essential aviation artery.”

News-Graphic reported that the flight’s manifest included senior officials from Washington flying to Caracas to meet the government, and it said the U.S. charge d'affaires in Venezuela, John Barrett, was waiting at the other end.

DW described the flight as carrying US National Energy Dominance Council Jarrod Agen, and it said Agen was set to meet with Venezuelan officials and representatives from the energy and mining industries as part of Washington’s efforts to help US companies enter the South American market.

CBS News likewise said Jarrod Agen led the U.S. team and that Venezuela’s newly appointed Ambassador to the U.S., Félix Plasencia, was also on board, with Agen telling CBS News that a White House team traveling to Caracas plans to push along agreements between U.S. companies and Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA and mining companies.

Several passenger accounts emphasized family reunification and the end of stopovers, with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava telling the Palm Beach Post, “Parents will be able to connect with children, grandparents with grandchildren, and entire families with a home that shaped and raised them,” and with AP quoting passenger Lennart Ochoa saying, “Just to go and see the family on a direct flight from Miami to Caracas is priceless.”

At the same time, the Washington Post described how some passengers were still constrained by documentation and immigration realities, noting that even as direct flights resume, “many are unable to return home, for want of a valid passport or fear of jeopardizing ongoing immigration cases in the U.S.”

Despite the celebratory atmosphere at Miami International Airport and on board, multiple reports emphasized that high ticket prices and documentation barriers still limited who could take advantage of the new direct route.

Al Jazeera said “High ticket prices remain a key barrier, alongside strict US visa requirements,” and it described return fares for early May starting at more than $1,200 before dropping to just more than $1,000 later in the month.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera also compared those costs to indirect options, saying flights via Bogota typically range from $390 to $900 round-trip, with Avianca among the main carriers.

The Washington Post reported that Thursday’s flight offered an inaugural fast-track option “for those who could afford it,” and it said “Tickets ranged upward of $2,000 for the flight,” while flights for the coming days were listed at about $1,300.

CNN likewise said a search on the American Airlines website showed a round-trip ticket departing Miami early May and returning end of the month is costing more than $1,000.

The Washington Post added that some Venezuelans in the U.S. had their passports taken by immigration authorities upon entering the country, and others have seen their passports expire, with no consular services available in the U.S. and challenges returning to Venezuela to renew them.

It quoted Félix Plasencia, Venezuela’s ambassador to the U.S., saying Venezuelan officials are working with the Department of Homeland Security to grant Venezuelans without valid passports a travel document that would allow them to make the trip, and it said he also said Venezuela would allow citizens to enter even with expired passports.

The direct flight’s restart was presented as both a near-term operational change and a signal of broader political and economic direction, with multiple outlets describing follow-on plans and ongoing tensions.

“El primer vuelo comercial directo en casi siete años salió de Miami rumbo a Caracas”

América Económica

News-Graphic said the flight symbolizes the end of Venezuela's years-long isolation by the United States and marks reintegration into global airspace after a mass stayaway by airlines late last year, and it added that American Airlines planned to start a second round-trip daily flight on May 21.

América Económica

Al Jazeera also said the airline’s second daily flight between Miami and Caracas would start on May 21, and it described the return of nonstop flights as the first direct air link since diplomatic ties were severed in 2019.

The Palm Beach Post said Trump’s January announcement lifted the suspension and that the U.S. Transportation Secretary said the future of air travel “has never been brighter” and that the department would “expand on this progress and bring more flights online in the coming months.”

Euronews said plans to increase frequencies in the coming weeks would depend on operating conditions remaining stable.

Beyond aviation logistics, several reports tied the flight to energy and mining engagement, with CBS News saying the White House team plans to push agreements between U.S. companies and PDVSA and mining companies, and with DW saying Jarrod Agen was set to meet with Venezuelan officials and representatives from the energy and mining industries.

The Washington Post also described the diplomatic and economic context, saying the State Department reopened the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, announced general licenses allowing American oil companies to do business in Venezuela, and eased sanctions on the country’s central bank, while also stressing that “many are unable to return home” due to passport and immigration-case concerns.