The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela in seven years landed today at Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas. Envoy Air Flight 3599, a subsidiary of American Airlines, departed from Miami this morning, marking a new step in the normalization of relations between the two countries.
On board were businessmen, US government officials and journalists. The Embraer 175 jet bore the “250” logo in blue, white and red to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. The flight lasted almost three hours, according to the website FlightAware.
The landing of this flight marks the end of Venezuela's isolation from the US and the country's reintegration into the global aviation scene after its exclusion in 2019. American Airlines is the first US company to resume flights to Venezuela.
In January, US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who remain imprisoned in New York, while the US government seeks his arrest on charges including narco-terrorism. Following the operation, Washington and the interim government of Delcy Rodriguez agreed to restore diplomatic relations and are slowly normalizing ties in all areas. The US embassy in Caracas resumed operations in late March, while the Venezuelan embassy in Washington is expected to reopen.
At the same time, President Donald Trump is gradually easing sanctions on Venezuela, while the country has passed new laws for the hydrocarbon and mining sectors, opening them to the private sector.
Envoy Air will operate daily flights between Florida and Caracas, while Venezuelan carrier Laser Airlines will begin similar service on May 1. A second daily Miami–Caracas flight is expected to launch on May 21.
However, the State Department advises U.S. citizens to avoid travel to Venezuela due to risks from crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure.
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