American Airlines set to resume US flights to Venezuela as soon as April 30

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) – American Airlines said on Thursday it aims to resume flights to Venezuela as soon as April 30 after winning approval from the U.S. Transportation Department last month.

The airline said it plans to ⁠resume  services to Venezuela for the first time in more ​than six years, offering a daily service between Miami and Caracas on an Embraer 175 through Envoy, its wholly owned regional subsidiary, pending additional government approvals.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy lifted a 2019 order in January that had barred U.S. airlines ​from flying to Venezuela, after President Donald Trump directed ​him to make the move, and approved American’s request for flights in March.

The Transportation Security Administration was in Caracas about a month ago to review airport security procedures, sources told Reuters, a necessary step to resume flights.

American announced plans to resume service ‍just weeks after the U.S. military ‌seized ⁠the country’s leader Nicolas Maduro.

Trump in January asked the Transportation Department to lift restrictions that currently bar U.S. flights after a discussion with the country’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

American, which started ​operating in Venezuela ​in 1987, was the largest U.S. airline in the country before it suspended the service ⁠in 2019 after the U.S. ban. It said the planned daily flights will ​provide the opportunity for business, leisure and humanitarian ​travel. ⁠

The State Department lifted Venezuela from its “Do Not Travel” list ⁠for ​Americans in March, issuing a less serious “Reconsider Travel” advisory due to risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)