American Airlines gets approval to resume regular flights to Venezuela

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American Airlines received approval Wednesday to become the first U.S. airline to resume flights to Venezuela.

The airline announced its intent to restore service to Venezuela in January on the same day that President Donald Trump ordered the Transportation Department to open up commercial airspace over that country in the wake of the U.S. military raid that ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Even though the State Department continues to warn Americans not to travel to Venezuela, the government cleared the way for American Airlines to begin scheduling flights there.

American Airlines was the last U.S. airline flying to Venezuela when in 2019 it suspended flights between Miami and the capital, Caracas, as well as the oil hub city of Maracaibo. The airline said the details of which flights it will schedule between the United States and Venezuela weren't immediately available.

The plan could allow Venezuelans and Americans to resume vacationing in each other's home countries like they used to do regularly before diplomatic relations fell apart between the two countries in 2019. The airline said when it announced this plan in January that this would give customers the opportunity to reunite with families and pursue new business opportunities.