Trump Officially Opens Flights To His Favorite South American Country

The first commercial flight from the United States to Venezuela since 2019 took off from Miami International Airport on Thursday morning, a win for the Trump administration as the president reshapes Washington’s relationship with Caracas.

The American Airlines plane destined for Caracas was given a water salute by fire engines on the tarmac before it took off from Miami at around 10:00 a.m. ET. Flight AA3599 was operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines. The plane was one of the airline’s America 250 commemorative aircraft.

“For nearly 7 years there have been no direct commercial flights between the U.S. and Venezuela,” the State Department said. “Under President Trump we’re changing that today. Flights between Miami and Caracas restored.”

For nearly 7 years there have been no direct commercial flights between the U.S. and Venezuela.

Under President Trump we’re changing that today. Flights between Miami and Caracas restored. pic.twitter.com/3fsLVwWHQQ

— Department of State (@StateDept) April 30, 2026

Flight AA3599 is expected to arrive in Caracas just after 1:20 p.m. local time. The plane will return to Florida later Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press reported. Miami resident Lennart Ochoa said he was excited for the reopening of commercial air travel between the two countries.

“I’m very excited to go and see the family and I’m looking forward to see the country,” Ochoa said, according to the AP.

Thursday’s flight from the United States to Venezuela comes less than five months after U.S. forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. In March, President Donald Trump praised acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez and said his administration’s relationship with Venezuela had greatly improved after the operation to capture Maduro.

The Department of Homeland Security suspended air travel between the United States and Venezuela in 2019 during Trump’s first term “based on the ongoing political instability and increased tensions in Venezuela.” Just a few months earlier, the Trump administration sanctioned Venezuela’s state-run oil company, citing Maduro’s corruption.

“As a result of the Maduro regime’s inability to govern and perpetuation of lawlessness, it is no longer possible to certify that Venezuela is meeting baseline standards of security,” a U.S. official told CNN at the time.

The flight to Caracas on Thursday is just the first of many commercial flights to come between the two countries. In the coming months, American Airlines will also offer flights to Caracas from Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, and Washington, D.C.