During a meeting with his cabinet at the White House, the U.S. president declared that American citizens will be able to travel to Venezuela “very soon,” and that they will be safe in the country. Photograph: Screenshot
Guacamaya, January 29, 2026. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the immediate reopening of commercial airspace over Venezuela, a development that marks a major turning point in relations between the two countries after years of restrictions. This reopening will take place “by the end of the day,” according to Trump’s own statements, who confirmed he had already instructed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
During a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump revealed he had spoken directly with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. “I just spoke with the president of Venezuela and informed her that we are going to open all commercial airspace over Venezuela. American citizens will very soon be able to go to Venezuela and they will be safe there,” declared the president.
Trump also expressed gratitude toward Venezuelan leadership: “I want to thank the leadership of Venezuela. We get along very well with them,” he said. The U.S. president also referred today to the Venezuelan community in Doral, Miami—where much of the diaspora in the U.S. is concentrated—and affirmed that they are “very excited” about the news.
In November, Trump had warned that the South American country’s airspace would remain completely closed. That announcement came prior to the military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro on January 3. Following that event, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a new advisory, extended until February 2, regarding a “potentially dangerous” situation in Maiquetía.
Trump highlighted progress in energy investments: “Major oil companies are going to Venezuela to explore and select their sites. They will bring enormous wealth to Venezuela and to the U.S. (…) Venezuela will benefit.” This measure will boost air connectivity, benefiting tourism, trade, and migrant returns, in a new scenario of collaboration.
Interest from U.S. and Venezuelan Airlines
At the same time, it was reported that American Airlines plans to resume daily flights to Venezuela, pending final approval from the U.S. government and security evaluations, according to a Reuters preview. This was the last U.S. airline to operate connections between the two countries, after suspending flights due to the diplomatic break in 2019.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan airlines such as Laser Airlines have requested permits from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for direct routes between Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, and Miami, although regulatory obstacles remain, such as bilateral designation and FAA safety category. The information was disclosed based on a report from Aviation Week.
Other companies have requested permit renewals through lawyers to operate between the two countries, in a context of pent-up demand from the Venezuelan diaspora. However, full operability depends on new bilateral agreements and improvements in air safety.
