Several weeks ago, American Airlines vaguely announced plans to resume flights to Venezuela, though initially stopped short of providing details about which route would be operated, and when. There’s now an update, as this route is closer to becoming a reality — the airline has just loaded its first resumed flight to Venezuela into the schedule, so we have all the details.
In this post:
American plans Miami to Caracas flights as of April 30, 2026
American has become the first airline from the United States to announce plans to reinstate nonstop regularly scheduled passenger flights to Venezuela. The airline plans to resume daily flights:
- Venezuela service will initially be operated by Envoy Air, American’s wholly owned regional subsidiary, operating on behalf of American Eagle; so expect flights to be operated by Embraer E175 regional jets
- American intends to eventually launch both the 1,360-mile route from Miami (MIA) to Caracas (CCS), as well as the 1,189-mile route from Miami to Maracaibo (MAR)
American has now published the schedule for its route between Miami and Caracas, and the service is on sale. The service will launch as of April 30, 2026, and will operate with the following schedule, as reported by AeroRoutes:
AA3599 Miami to Caracas departing 10:16AM arriving 1:36PM
AA4194 Caracas to Miami departing 2:40PM arriving 6:13PM
The route is blocked at 3hr20min to Caracas and 3hr33min to Miami. American had emphasized that this route will only launch “when all government approvals and security checks are complete,” so I imagine good progress has been made on that front.
Here’s how Nat Pieper, American’s Chief Commercial Officer, describes this new service:
“American’s Miami hub is the preeminent U.S. gateway to Latin America, and our service to Venezuela is a key part of our history and our future. Our commitment to connecting Venezuela with the U.S. spans more than 30 years, and we look forward to the new opportunities for commerce and strengthened ties with family and friends that our service will provide.”
Meanwhile here’s what Nate Gatten, American’s EVP of American Eagle, Corporate Real Estate, and Government Affairs, had to say:
“American was the first airline to announce plans to restart service to Venezuela, and we are encouraged by the progress we’ve made with both governments. We are grateful for the efforts of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the entire administration to help us reconnect the U.S. with Venezuela. Our return wouldn’t be possible without this strong partnership.”
American started operating to Venezuela in 1987, and ultimately suspended flights in 2019. For years, the airline was the largest US carrier in the country, and there even used to be an Admirals Club in Caracas.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how this plays out
This whole Venezuela situation is obviously incredibly complicated, and has lots of geopolitical implications. This is primarily a travel blog, so I don’t think we need to get too deep into that. However, I will make two points, as it impacts air service between the countries.
First, I’m curious if this route actually launches as expected, and can continue operating, or if some issues come up. As an American, it’s sort of hard to know what exactly the state of things is in Venezuela, given all that has happened in recent times.
Second, as an aviation geek, I’m much more intrigued by Venezuela’s airlines returning to the United States. Those gorgeous Conviasa Airbus A340-600s are more than welcome to fly overhead here in Miami anytime, as far as I’m concerned! I’d rather see them here than at their other typical destinations, including Moscow (SVO), Tehran (IKA), etc.!
Heck, I’ll even take one of those ex-American Airlines nearly 40-year-old LASER Airlines MD-80s. That’s the stuff that avgeek dreams are made of!
Bottom line
American Airlines plans to resume flights to Venezuela, making it the first US carrier to announce such plans. The company intends to launch a Miami to Caracas route as of April 30, 2026, and it will be operated by American Eagle Embraer E175s, with tickets now on sale. It’ll be interesting to see how this service performs, and if it lasts. Launching a new international route with under two weeks notice isn’t something you often see!
How do you see American’s service resumption to Venezuela playing out?
I thought the time is a bit long for the aircraft type
Glass half full; huge if this route is sustainable & profitable, if AA can prove that is is safe not only for planes and crews to make the daytime turn but more importantly that the passengers can land, process immigration and customs smoothly and friction free and if that the VZ government can put a quabash on the "hassle" of getting from Maiquetía, to downtown, that's progress!
Prices are absolutely CRAZY
You don't have to go to Venezuela! One of the (and yes, this IS a SUPER dumb registration pun...) EX-LASER MD-80's (and the final one that came off the assembly line) was sold and now flies with swapped titles (but the same green base livery) for TezJet in Kyrgyzstan both domestically and to neighboring countries! TezJet also flies 2 of the last passenger BaE-146es in the world (outside of Bolivia, Iran, the Arctic, and Antarctic)...
You don't have to go to Venezuela! One of the (and yes, this IS a SUPER dumb registration pun...) EX-LASER MD-80's (and the final one that came off the assembly line) was sold and now flies with swapped titles (but the same green base livery) for TezJet in Kyrgyzstan both domestically and to neighboring countries! TezJet also flies 2 of the last passenger BaE-146es in the world (outside of Bolivia, Iran, the Arctic, and Antarctic) in an insanely dense 6-abreast configuration that is so tight that my head has to tilt inwards in the window seats to not contact the fuselage - ping me if you need tips for a review trip adventure for Uzbekistan Airways, Air Astana, and the others in the region :)
Just because of oil…
The biggest beneficiary of it will definitely be an American public. These flights will be greatly used to remove tren de aragua members from the US, as well as other south Americans that snuck in during Biden's presidency.
Nearly 1,200 miles in an RJ. No thank you.
Bad take. 2-2 seating far superior to 3-3, in economy at least. Unless, you, as a Concierge Key, are too good to possibly sit anywhere but up-front…
It's even better in First on the E175.
Emirates could change its fifth freedom route to Venezuela to capitalize on cheaper fuel too.
Oof. Wrong again. The UAE also has ample domestically produced jet fuel. You should suggest a country/airline with no domestically produced oil attempting what you suggest, instead.
You do know that aircraft are often refueled in countries they transit….. Dubai doesn’t even have any oil - other emirates do.
No other airlines are running a 5th freedom route from Miami to nearby bogota so it just makes sense given just how cheap fuel is in Venezuela.
It would makes sense for a lot of other refueling stops for airlines like Ethiopian that already utilize the strategy - why are you so mad at the suggestion?
I wonder if they’ll start flying widebodies on the route and filling up with cheap fuel to tank back.
We have ample supply of domestically produced jet fuel in the United States already.
Besides, Venezuelan heavy, sulfur-rich crude is not easily refined into the kerosene-based jet fuel. Basically, you suggest a simple, yet infeasible solution to a complex problem.