Flights to the Caribbean resuming after Venezuela-related restriction lifts

Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald on Jan 4, 2026

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The Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday lifted its prohibition on flights to the Caribbean and airlines have resumed normal flights.

“The original restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00 am ET and flights can resume,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on social media site X. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly.”

Duffy advised travelers to “work with your airline if your flight was affected by the restrictions.”

The FAA had restricted the airspace in the Caribbean and Venezuela due to military operations in the area by the Trump administration that included the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. The measure was made via a NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen, which provides real-time information to airlines about changes or new hazards impacting flights.

On Sunday at Miami International Airport, more than a dozen flights had departed as of 11:30 a.m., according to the airport’s tracker. Six flights were canceled due to recovery from the airspace restrictions, Greg Chin, communications director for Miami-Dade Aviation Department, told the Herald.

On Saturday, 107 flights were canceled at MIA due to airspace restrictions, said Chin.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, at least 14 flights have left from FLL to the region Sunday morning, according to the airport’s flight tracker.

Sunday, American Airlines, which accounts for most overall flights from MIA, was also back up and running.

Additional flights to Caribbean added

“Operations are resuming to all markets today,” said carrier spokesperson Dan Landson on Sunday.

American said it has so far added “nearly 5,000 additional seats to and from the region on top of resuming scheduled service Sunday, Jan. 4.”

The carrier has also added extra flights and in some cases is using a larger aircraft, a Boeing 777-300. Destinations with increased service include Curaçao, San Juan and Bridgetown, Barbados.

While opening up airspace on Sunday, the FAA put in new advisory NOTAM notices as precautionary measures for flights around Curaçao, San Juan, Maiquetia and Piarco Flight Information Regions. They last until Feb. 2.

Piarco is in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

“Operators are advised to exercise caution when operating in the Curaçao flight information region at all altitudes due to military activity,” said the notice. “Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight.”

Language in the notices for San Juan, Maiquetia and Piarco was similar.

President Trump on Saturday threatened further U.S. military action in Venezuela.

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