U.S. airlines are resuming flights to the Caribbean
after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted temporary airspace
restrictions related to military
activity in Venezuela, which had led to widespread cancellations over the
weekend.
Transportation
Secretary Sean Duffy announced late Saturday that the FAA’s restrictions were
expiring at midnight, clearing the way for airlines to restart service on
Sunday, January 4, 2026.
“The original
restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00 a.m. ET and
flights can resume,” Duffy wrote on X.
The airspace
closure was triggered by U.S. military strikes in Venezuela and the reported capture
of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The FAA had ordered U.S. carriers to
avoid parts of the Caribbean airspace due to safety concerns.
In a notice to
airmen, the agency said it closed the airspace to U.S. airlines “due to
safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity,” Reuters
reported. The FAA also warned non-U.S. carriers to avoid Venezuelan airspace,
citing “potential risk from anti-aircraft weaponry and heightened military
activity” within 100 miles of the country.
Major U.S.
airlines began restarting service as soon as the restriction expired.
United
Airlines said it planned to operate a Saturday night flight to San Juan,
Puerto Rico, and added, “We expect to operate most scheduled flights to the
region for Sunday.”
Delta
Air Lines said it expects to fly its regular Caribbean schedule on Sunday,
though it adjusted aircraft and crew positioning to recover from the
disruption.
American
Airlines said it was preparing for the Eastern Caribbean airspace to reopen
Sunday and added more than 3,700 extra seats to and from the region. The
carrier said it was using additional flights and larger aircraft, including
widebody jets, to “add as much lift as possible” for affected travelers.
Spirit
Airlines said in a statement emailed to Reuters
that it resumed Caribbean flights on January 4 after the FAA directive expired.
Frontier
Airlines and JetBlue
were also impacted by the closure. JetBlue said it canceled 215 flights during
the disruption but plans to resume normal operations.
Even with flights
restarting, airline analyst Robert Mann warned that full recovery will take
time. Carriers are facing a backlog of stranded passengers, he said, noting,
“They have a day’s worth of passengers basically,” still waiting to travel.
The FAA declined
to provide further comment beyond its official safety notices.
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