The Venezuelan Aeronautical Authority reported on tuesday that it had received a formal request from the United States government to reactivate repatriation flights for Venezuelan nationals from U.S. territory back to the country. Photo: Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores, Justicia y Paz.
Guacamaya, December 2, 2025. Washington, DC has asked Caracas to authorize repatriation flights this week, amid the unofficial closure of Venezuelan airspace ordered by Donald Trump and the crisis generated by the suspension of air routes to Spain.
More than 70 deportation flights have landed at Maiquetía since both governments resumed migration cooperation, with over 14,000 Venezuelans being repatriated.
The Venezuelan Aeronautical Authority (VAA) reported receiving a new request from the U.S. to resume deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants immediately. The petition, confirmed in a statement released on Tuesday, comes days after Trump demanded that Venezuela’s airspace be considered “closed in its entirety.”
According to the official publication, Washington requested authorization for repatriation planes to land this week at Maiquetía International Airport. The VAA even published a copy of the permit application submitted by John J. Fasce, on behalf of Eastern Airlines, dated December 1 and classified as “ICE MISSION,” with a landing scheduled for December 3.
Sources consulted by Guacamaya indicated that a second telephone call may have taken place between Trump and Nicolás Maduro, although the agenda discussed or the content of the exchange could not be confirmed.
The deportation program began in late 2023, with flights from Phoenix, Arizona, which—according to the VAA—had been operating regularly on Wednesdays and Fridays. Since the migration agreement was reactivated, more than 70 flights have arrived in the country under this weekly scheme.
The new US request coincides with rising tensions in the aviation sector. The Venezuelan government decided to revoke the licenses of Air Europa and Plus Ultra, the two airlines maintaining direct connections with Spain. The measure left hundreds of Venezuelan passengers stranded at Barajas Airport, with no clear date to resume their journey.
In parallel, the National Assembly was scheduled to debate this Tuesday the creation of a special commission to investigate recent murders and explosions of vessels in Venezuelan waters. However, the discussion was postponed and could be left indefinite.
Thus, the aviation and migration landscape between Caracas and Washington remains marked by uncertainty, with unilateral decisions, diplomatic tensions, and a growing flow of deportation flights that continue to land at Maiquetía twice a week.
