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The United States government approved American Airlines' request to operate flights between Miami and two cities in Venezuela, which opens the possibility of resuming direct air connections between both countries after more than six years of suspension.
According to Reuters, the United States Department of Transportation has authorized the airline to operate routes to Caracas and Maracaibo through its regional subsidiary Envoy Air.
The decision comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revoked in January an order issued in 2019 that prohibited U.S. airlines from flying to Venezuela.
That restriction was lifted following a directive from President Donald Trump, who requested a review of the measure after discussions with Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez.
American Airlines announced its intention to resume operations to Venezuela just weeks after U.S. forces detained former President Nicolás Maduro.
The airline plans to resume flights for the first time since 2019, when it suspended its operations in the country due to the ban imposed by Washington for security reasons.
Before the resumption of the routes, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the United States recently visited Caracas to review airport security procedures, a necessary step to allow the return of flights.
The authorization from the Department of Transportation will be valid for two years.
American Airlines, which began operations in Venezuela in 1987, was the largest American airline in the country before suspending its services in 2019.
The State Department currently advises U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela for security reasons.
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