U.S. Lifts Caribbean Airspace Restrictions After Venezuela Strike
The United States government has lifted temporary airspace restrictions over the Caribbean that had been imposed during a major U.S. military operation in Venezuela, allowing commercial flights to resume normal operations and easing travel disruptions that stranded thousands of passengers across the region.
The restrictions, issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amid “ongoing military activity” tied to a strike and ground operation in Venezuela, were lifted late Saturday, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announcing that the curbs would expire at midnight Eastern Time (early Sunday). Airlines were told to update their schedules accordingly and begin restoring flights that had been canceled or delayed due to the closure.
The FAA had initially closed Caribbean airspace citing safety risks to commercial aviation, resulting in widespread flight cancellations across Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Aruba, and other popular destinations. At the peak of the disruption, nearly 60 % of flights at San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport were scrubbed, and carriers including United, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit and others suspended services while rerouting aircraft and crews.
Stranded passengers faced significant inconveniences throughout Saturday, with reports of families, students and holiday travelers left waiting in terminals as cancellations mounted. Airlines have been working to rebook affected passengers, often waiving change fees amid heavy demand.
With the reopening of the skies, U.S. carriers have begun to reinstate flights across the eastern and southern Caribbean, though aviation analysts caution that full schedule recovery may take several days as airlines rebalance aircraft and crews after the sudden disruption.
The airspace closure and its reversal come on the heels of a highly controversial U.S. military operation inside Venezuela — in which elite forces reportedly captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him to the United States on criminal charges. That operation sparked sharp international reactions, raised questions about regional stability, and was cited by the FAA as the primary security threat leading to the Caribbean airspace curbs.
As flights resume, authorities and airlines continue to monitor the situation for any potential risk to aviation, but travelers are being advised that normal operations should steadily return throughout Sunday and into the week.
