First direct US-Venezuela commercial flight lands in Caracas after 7 years

Seven years after the US Homeland Security Department ordered an indefinite suspension due to security issues, the first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela landed in the capital of the South American country on Thursday (April 30). This come after the capture of then Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a nighttime raid on his residence in Caracas in early January by American military.

It also comes a month after the US formally reopened its embassy in Caracas after restoratng full diplomatic relations with Venezuela.

One of the passenger speaking to Associated Press said, “I'm very excited to go and see the family and I'm looking forward to see the country."

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While another passenger by the name Lennart Ochoa of Miami said, “Just to go and see the family on a direct flight from Miami to Caracas is priceless.”

The American Airlines flight took off at 10:26 am (1426 GMT) from Miami en route to Caracas and landed less than three hours later.

One of the passengers Isabel Parra, a travel agent originally from Venezuela, spoke to AFP and said she had not returned since 2018 and was "super excited."

"For years we had to go through Curacao, the Dominican Republic or Bogota, so having this direct flight is a real pleasure," she said.

Some 1.2 million Venezuelans live in the United States, and the thaw is expected to boost the US business presence in the South American nation, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves.

The new flight comes despite trouble in the aviation industry, which has been hit hard by a sharp rise in oil prices after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

(With inputs from agencies)