For the first time in nearly seven years, a US commercial jet is heading back to Caracas. An American Airlines flight is set to leave Miami at 10:16am ET on Thursday and land at Venezuela's Simon Bolivar International Airport just over three hours later, reports CNN. The flight marks the resumption of daily service by a US carrier after Washington lifted a long-standing flight ban this month, with the Department of Homeland Security concluding that "conditions in Venezuela no longer threaten the safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew."
The move comes as the United States and Venezuela cautiously rebuild ties following the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a US military raid earlier this year and the rise of interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, his former vice president. Under US pressure, Rodríguez has pushed through political and economic changes, including amnesty for hundreds of political prisoners and looser rules for foreign oil investment, while Washington has begun rolling back sanctions.
Advocates say renewed air links could be a lifeline for the roughly three-quarters of a million Venezuelan migrants in the US. "Anything that brings the diaspora closer to people in Venezuela is positive news," said Miami-based entrepreneur Liz Rebecca Alarcón, who added she hopes the flights stay affordable. American says it plans to add a second daily flight on May 21, notes NBC Miami.
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