Trump Says He’s Instructed U.S. Officials To Reopen Venezuelan Airspace For Commercial Travel
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump He said he informed Venezuela’s acting president on Thursday. Delcy RodriguezHe said he would open all commercial airspace over the country. Venezuelan and Americans will be able to visit soon
Trump said he instructed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and US military leaders to take the necessary steps to open airspace to travel by the end of the day.
“American citizens will be able to go to Venezuela in a very short time and they will be safe there,” the Republican president said.
The Venezuelan government did not immediately comment on the matter.
While the State Department continues to warn Americans against traveling to Venezuela, at least one U.S. airline has announced its intention to soon resume direct flights between those countries.
American Airlines was the last US airline to fly to Venezuela in 2019 when it suspended flights between Miami and the capital Caracas and oil hub Maracaibo. The airline said Thursday it would share additional details about a return to service in the coming months as it works with federal officials on safety assessments and necessary permits.
“We have more than 30 years of history connecting Venezolanos to the United States, and we are ready to renew this incredible relationship,” American chief commercial officer Nat Pieper said in a statement. “By resuming service to Venezuela, America will offer customers the opportunity to reunite with their families and build new business and trade with the United States.”
Before Venezuela collapsed in the mid-2010s, it was not uncommon for Venezuelans to take weekend vacation trips to Miami. U.S. airlines suspended flights to Venezuela in 2019 before the Department of Homeland Security ordered an indefinite suspension, arguing that conditions in Venezuela threatened the “safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew.”
Earlier this week, the Trump administration notified Congress that the first steps had been taken to reopen the closed US Embassy in Caracas. US military raid who overthrew the then president Nicolas Maduro. In a memo sent to lawmakers on Monday and obtained by The Associated Press, the State Department said it would send a regular and growing number of temporary staff to perform “selected” diplomatic duties.
“We write to notify the committee of the State Department’s intent to implement a phased approach to potentially restart Embassy Caracas operations,” the department said in separate but identical letters to 10 House and Senate committees.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries collapsed in 2019.
Even as Trump said Americans would be safe in Venezuela, the State Department implemented its highest-level travel advisory: “Do not travel,” a warning that the risks of false detention, torture, kidnapping and more are high.
The department did not immediately respond to a message asking whether this warning would be changed.
In November, as Trump increased pressure on Maduro, the American president said the airspace “above and around” Venezuela should be considered “completely closed.”
The Federal Aviation Administration, which generally has jurisdiction over the United States and its territories, has told pilots to exercise caution when flying around Venezuela due to increased military activity.
Following this warning from the FAA, international airlines began to cancel flights to Venezuela.
The FAA issued a similar 60-day warning in January, urging U.S. aircraft operators to “use caution” when flying over the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. The warning followed Maduro’s capture but came as the US threatened to continue military strikes on boats allegedly smuggling drugs in the region.
Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
