S. carrier to return to Venezuela after a suspension. The airline secured approval on Wednesday, but it must still obtain all government approvals and security clearances, with the April 30 date potentially pushed back if these are not acquired in time.
According to Nate Gatten, executive vice president of American Eagle, the airline is encouraged by the progress made with both governments. Key steps include the Transportation Security Administration completing and releasing an audit after sending a team to Caracas in February, and both countries needing to issue visas more quickly than they currently do for the flights to take off. The specific government approvals and security clearances still pending have not been detailed, and it is unclear how quickly visa processing will be resolved.
S. airline flying to Venezuela when in 2019 it suspended flights between Miami and Caracas, as well as the oil hub city of Maracaibo. The airline will fly a smaller Embraer-175 plane to access market demand, but the details of which flights American Airlines will schedule between the United States and Venezuela aren't immediately available.
It is unknown whether the flights will be daily and non-stop as announced or if the schedule could change, and the exact routes and frequencies have not been specified. Despite the planned resumption, the State Department continues to warn Americans not to travel to Venezuela due to safety concerns. It remains unclear how this travel warning will affect passenger demand and airline operations, as the airline moves forward with its plans amid ongoing uncertainties.