By Ginika Igboke
American Airlines said Thursday that it plans to resume service to Venezuela for the first time in more than six years, pending government approval and security assessments, following recent actions by the Trump administration toward the South American country.
Late Thursday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rescinded a 2019 order that barred U.S. airlines from flying to Venezuela after President Donald Trump directed him to do so. In the directive, Duffy said that “the continued suspension of air service is no longer required by the public interest.”
Trump’s request followed discussions with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. “American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there,” Trump said.
American suspended service to Venezuela in 2019 after the United States barred flights to the country. Earlier this month, U.S. forces carried out a military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
United Airlines declined to say whether it plans to resume flights, while Delta Air Lines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
American, which began operating in Venezuela in 1987, said the planned daily flights would support business, leisure, and humanitarian travel. Before the suspension, it was the largest U.S. airline serving the country.
Duffy’s order noted that the move does not affect other regulatory restrictions imposed by the Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, or Homeland Security, nor does it change Venezuela’s status under the Federal Aviation Administration’s International Aviation Safety Assessment program.
Flights are not expected to resume immediately. The FAA will need to conduct safety assessments, and the Transportation Security Administration is also likely to carry out a security review.
“We look forward to facilitating the return of regular travel between the U.S. and Venezuela,” the FAA said Thursday.
The Transportation Department must also formally rescind another 2019 order, issued in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and with the approval of the secretary of state, that continues to bar U.S. flights.
Despite the policy shift, the State Department added Venezuela to its “Do Not Travel” list in December.
On Jan. 16, the FAA warned airlines to exercise caution when flying over Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America due to potential military activity and GPS interference. On Thursday, the agency rescinded those warnings for Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Colombia, and parts of eastern Pacific airspace, saying they were no longer necessary.
Last month, a JetBlue flight bound for New York took evasive action to avoid a midair collision with a U.S. Air Force tanker near Venezuela that was not transmitting an active transponder signal.
Original article
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