US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has told Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez that the United States will reopen commercial airspace over Venezuela. He said Americans will soon be able to travel to the country.Trump said he has instructed US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and US military leaders to open the airspace by the end of the day.
“American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there,” Trump said.Earlier this week, the Trump administration informed Congress that it had begun initial steps that could lead to the reopening of the closed US Embassy in Venezuela. This is part of efforts to explore restoring relations with the South American country after a US military raid that removed then-President Nicolas Maduro.In a notice sent to lawmakers on Monday, the US State Department said it would deploy a regular and growing number of temporary staff to carry out “select” diplomatic functions.Diplomatic ties between the US and Venezuela broke down in 2019. That year, the State Department warned Americans not to travel to Venezuela and raised its travel advisory to the highest level.In November, Trump had said the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety.” After that, the US Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots to exercise caution due to increased military activity. Several international airlines later cancelled flights to Venezuela.American Airlines, the last US carrier to fly to Venezuela before suspending operations in March 2019, said on Thursday it plans to restart non-stop flights from the US in the coming months.“We have a more than 30-year history connecting Venezolanos to the U.S., and we are ready to renew that incredible relationship,” said Nat Pieper, American Airlines’ chief commercial officer. “By restarting service to Venezuela, American will offer customers the opportunity to reunite with families and create new business and commerce with the United States.”
