For the first time in seven years, a commercial flight from the United States landed in Venezuela on Thursday, marking a significant thaw in relations between the two countries. The Envoy Air-operated American Airlines subsidiary flight departed Miami International Airport at 10:11 a.m. EDT and touched down at Simón Bolívar International Airport outside Caracas at 1:22 p.m. EDT, according to FlightAware.
The flight, an American Eagle aircraft, is scheduled to return to Miami at 2:40 p.m. EDT, arriving at 6:11 p.m. EDT. The U.S. Department of Transportation confirmed that daily service between Miami and Caracas will now be available.
The resumption comes after the Department of Transportation suspended all commercial and cargo flights to Venezuela in 2019, citing safety and security threats to passengers and crew. That decision was based on findings from the Department of Homeland Security.
Relations shifted dramatically after U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. Since then, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed leadership, has released hundreds of political prisoners and relaxed restrictions on foreign investment in the country's oil sector. Earlier this month, the Treasury Department eased sanctions on state-run Venezuelan banks.
However, the human rights situation remains dire. According to Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights organization, 473 political prisoners—including 43 foreigners—remain detained as of April 21.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Miami alongside State Department and local officials, called the flight a “critical milestone in strengthening the United States relationship with Venezuela and unleashing economic opportunity” for both nations. “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,” Duffy said in a statement.
Nate Gatten, an executive vice president at American Airlines, said the company was “proud to be the first airline to resume service” between the two countries. One-way tickets for May flights from Miami to Caracas were listed at over $1,000 on American’s website as of early Thursday afternoon.
The DOT noted that other U.S. carriers “have expressed a strong interest in restoring operations to Caracas and other locations across Venezuela.” The department said it will “continue to review applications and provide updates in the coming months on new offerings.”
The resumption of flights comes as an estimated 1.2 million Venezuelans live in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. The Miami metro area is home to roughly 254,000 Venezuelans, while about 127,000 reside in the Orlando area.
Political analysts see the flight restart as a tangible outcome of the post-Maduro diplomatic shift, though critics warn that the slow pace of political prisoner releases and ongoing economic instability could undermine long-term progress. The route's revival also raises questions about the broader U.S. strategy in the region, especially as the Supreme Court ruling threatens seven Democratic House seats and the acting U.S. envoy to Ukraine departs amid policy rifts.
