The official White House account on X celebrated this Wednesday the resumption of direct flights between the United States and Venezuela, attributing the achievement directly to President Donald Trump and Operation Absolute Resolution.
"American Airlines is resuming direct flights from the U.S. to Venezuela for the first time in seven years. This would not be possible without the brave leadership of President Trump in Operation Absolute Resolution," the White House published on April 30.
On that same day, American Airlines operated flight AA3599, the first direct flight from Miami to Caracas in almost seven years, departing from Miami International Airport at 10:16 a.m. heading to Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía.
The flight was operated by the subsidiary Envoy Air on an Embraer E175 under the American Eagle brand, with an approximate duration of three hours.
The aircraft, with registration N341MB, features a commemorative livery for the 250th anniversary of the independence of the U.S. (1776-2026) and received a water cannon salute upon departure.
The mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, attended the departure ceremony, which turned into a celebration with passengers waving Venezuelan flags, enjoying arepas and tequeños.
The State Department also celebrated the achievement: "For almost seven years, there were no direct commercial flights between the U.S. and Venezuela. With President Trump, we are changing that today. Flights between Miami and Caracas have been restored."
The background of this aerial milestone is the Operation Absolute Resolution, carried out in the early hours of January 3, 2026, by the elite unit Delta Force with over 150 aircraft and support from the CIA, resulting in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas.
In the operation, 32 Cuban soldiers who were protecting Maduro died, including two colonels, one lieutenant colonel, four majors, and three captains. Cuba declared two days of national mourning on January 6, 2026.
After the capture, the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela sworn in Delcy Rodríguez as the acting president. The diplomatic normalization was expedited: on January 29, Trump ordered the lifting of the air ban after speaking directly with Rodríguez, and on March 4, the Department of Transportation approved Envoy Air routes with an exemption valid until March 2028.
On April 1, the U.S. removed Rodríguez from the OFAC sanctions list, paving the way for the full resumption of commercial flights.
American Airlines had operated the Miami-Caracas route uninterrupted from 1987 until its forced suspension on March 28, 2019, amid the deterioration of relations between Washington and Maduro's government.
The day after the inaugural flight, on May 1, Laser Airlines in partnership with Global Crossing Airlines also began daily direct flights from Miami to Caracas on an Airbus A320 with a capacity for 150 passengers.
Nat Pieper, commercial director of American Airlines, summarized the significance of the moment: "American Airlines' operations center in Miami is the primary gateway from the United States to Latin America, and our service to Venezuela is a fundamental part of our history and our future."
American Airlines plans to add a second daily flight on the route starting from May 21, 2026.
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