American Airlines Gets Approval to Restart Flights to Venezuela

American Airlines’ return to Venezuela received the official stamp of approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Wednesday.

While American first launched flights to the country in 1987, it has not operated there since 2019, when service was suspended due to safety concerns, political instability, and civil unrest. The airline announced plans to resume daily service in January following the reopening of commercial airspace, which came after the ouster of former President Nicolas Maduro.

American has not yet revealed which cities it will serve when flights restart. Before the 2019 suspension, the carrier operated regular service between Miami International (MIA), Caracas, and Maracaibo.

Despite the DOT’s green light, Venezuela remains on the State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list. The department continues to advise Americans against travel to the region due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture, terrorism, kidnapping, and poor health infrastructure.