Related videos:
United Airlines announced this Tuesday the resumption of its direct route between Houston and Caracas, which has been suspended since June 2017. Flights will begin on August 11, 2026, after nearly nine years of absence.
The airline confirmed the resumption of the Houston-Caracas route with daily frequency, operated with a Boeing 737 MAX 8, and tickets are now available for sale starting today.
Flight UA 1046 will depart from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston at 11:45 PM and arrive at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas at 5:30 AM the following day.
The return flight, identified as UA 1045, will depart from Caracas at 08:00 and arrive in Houston at 12:30.
United Airlines had operated the Houston-Caracas route for over 20 years before suspending it in 2017, driven by security concerns at Venezuelan airports, infrastructure issues in Maiquetía, and the inability to repatriate funds due to the currency controls imposed by Nicolás Maduro's regime.
With this new route, the airline will expand its offering in Latin America to up to 100 daily flights to more than 50 destinations.
United's return is part of a wave of air reconnection between the United States and Venezuela, fueled by the political change in Caracas following the capture of Maduro on January 3, 2026, by U.S. special forces in the so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution," after which Delcy Rodríguez assumed the position of acting president.
On January 29, 2026, President Donald Trump ordered the reopening of Venezuelan airspace for commercial flights, revoking the restrictions imposed in 2019, and stated: "I just spoke with the president of Venezuela and informed her that we are going to open all commercial airspace."
Delcy Rodríguez responded to the announcement with enthusiasm: "Let all the airlines come, those who need to come. Let the investors come, those who need to come."
On April 1, 2026, Washington removed Delcy Rodríguez from the OFAC sanctions list, consolidating the new diplomatic landscape between both countries.
United thus joins American Airlines, which resumed direct Miami-Caracas flights on April 30 after nearly seven years of interruption, and Laser Airlines, which began its own direct flights on that same route on May 1, 2026.
Historically, between 2014 and 2017, more than 15 airlines left Venezuela due to government debts —about 3,800 million dollars in unrepatriated bolivares—, issues related to airport security, and the economic crisis under Maduro.
American Airlines plans to add a second daily flight from Miami to Caracas starting on May 21, 2026, which anticipates increased competition in the air corridor between the United States and Venezuela.
Filed under: