CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela arrived Thursday in the capital of the South American country, seven years after the U.S. Homeland Security Department ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns.
The resumption of a nonstop commercial flight between the two countries comes months after the U.S. capture of then President Nicolás Maduro in a stunning nighttime raid on his residence in Caracas in early January.
READ MORE: Venezuelan lawmakers approve sweeping mining bill to entice wary foreign investors
It also comes a month after the U.S. formally reopened its embassy in Caracas following the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
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"I'm very excited to go and see the family and I'm looking forward to see the country," said passenger Lennart Ochoa of Miami shortly before boarding. He said that he was "ready to go" and got his ticket as soon as they were available. "Just to go and see the family on a direct flight from Miami to Caracas is priceless."
The director of the U.S. National Energy Dominance Council, Jarrod Agen, was among the passengers on the inaugural flight. Agen is scheduled to meet with Venezuelan officials and executives from energy and mining sectors as part of the Trump administration's efforts to facilitate the entry of U.S. companies into the South American country, reported the Venezuelan government.
At Miami International Airport, American Airlines staff handed passengers small Venezuelan flags. Balloons with its colors — yellow, blue and red — adorned the gate door leading to the plane.
Flight AA3599 operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, departed Miami at 10:11 a.m. EDT (1411 GMT), five minutes ahead of its scheduled time, according to Miami International Airport flight departure information. It arrived around three hours later in the Venezuelan capital, returning to Florida later in the afternoon.
Earlier, the airline said that a second daily flight between Miami and Caracas will start on May 21.
In late January, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he informed Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez that he would open up all commercial airspace over the country, allowing Americans to visit.
"American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there," Trump said at the time.
The flights mark the resumption of nonstop travel between the U.S. and Venezuela for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 2019. For the past seven years, passengers have relied on international airlines and indirect routes through neighboring Latin American countries.
In January, when the airline announced the resumption of flights, it said it would give customers the opportunity to reunite with families and pursue new business opportunities.
American Airlines was the last U.S. airline flying to Venezuela. It suspended flights in 2019 between Miami and Caracas, as well as flights to the oil hub city of Maracaibo. Delta and United Airlines pulled out in 2017 amid a political crisis that forced millions to flee the country.
"Parents will be able to connect with children, grandparents with grandchildren, and entire families with a home that shaped and raised them," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference before boarding started. "Miami-Dade is home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States."