Flights Return to Venezuela as Skies Reopen

For almost three months, Venezuela was an island. After the United States warned airlines in November 2025 to avoid Venezuelan airspace amid its military buildup in the Caribbean, European and Latin American carriers pulled out one by one. The Madrid–Caracas corridor — a lifeline connecting Spain’s half-million-strong Venezuelan diaspora to their families — went dark. Ticket prices on remaining routes surged. Today, the first plane back touches down. This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Venezuela affairs and Latin American financial news.

Air Europa lands in Caracas this Tuesday with three weekly flights, ramping to five by late March. The Spanish carrier is the first European airline to return, followed by Plus Ultra on March 3 with two weekly frequencies, Turkish Airlines the same week, and Iberia from April 7 with three. Venezuelan carrier Laser resumed Madrid and Barcelona service last weekend. On the Latin American side, Copa Airlines was the fastest to return in January, followed by Avianca and Wingo from Colombia. LATAM restarts Bogotá–Caracas on February 23, GOL reconnects São Paulo on March 8, and TAP links Lisbon from March 30.

The reopening tracks Venezuela’s rapid political transformation. Washington’s FAA lifted its airspace ban shortly after the January 3 operation that removed Nicolás Maduro. On January 29, Trump confirmed the reopening after a call with acting president Delcy Rodríguez, who declared that all airlines were welcome. Europe’s EASA followed on February 14, clearing the way for the Spanish carriers that had suspended operations in lockstep with the American warning.

Before the shutdown, Spain and Venezuela shared roughly 18 weekly direct flights across four carriers. Full restoration will take months. Maiquetía airport is finishing runway renovations and navigation upgrades, but its capacity remains modest compared to regional hubs like Bogotá or Lima. Currency complications, multiple exchange rates, and Venezuela’s new visa requirement for U.S. citizens add friction, even as American Airlines restores its daily Miami–Caracas route.

For the Venezuelan travel industry, though, any plane on the tarmac is progress. As Vicky Herrera, president of the national travel agency association, put it to EFE: the return of these routes is critical not just for tourism but for health, commerce, and the family reunions that eight million emigrants have been waiting for.

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