US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said restrictions imposed on Caribbean airspace following a US military operation in Venezuela will expire at 12:00 am ET, allowing commercial flights to resume.
In an update posted on X late Saturday, Duffy said airlines had been informed of the change and would move quickly to adjust their schedules.
The airspace restrictions were introduced earlier in the day amid safety concerns tied to military activity in the region.
“The original restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00am ET and flights can resume,” Duffy wrote. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly. Please continue to work with your airline if your flight was affected by the restrictions.”
Why were restrictions imposed?
A few hours earlier, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted airspace in parts of the Caribbean and Venezuela to US carriers, citing “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity,” according to Reuters.
The FAA also issued security notices for non-US airlines, advising caution when operating near Venezuelan airspace.
A notice to British carriers warned of “potential risk from anti-aircraft weaponry and heightened military activity” within 100 miles of Venezuela, Reuters reported.
The restrictions came after an overnight US operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, US President Donald Trump said.
Airlines canceled hundreds of flights
Major US airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways, canceled hundreds of flights on Saturday in response to the FAA closures, Reuters reported.
Full recovery may take time
Despite the lifting of restrictions, airline operations are not expected to return to normal immediately. Reuters quoted airline analyst Robert Mann as saying carriers were facing a backlog of stranded passengers across the Caribbean. “They have a day’s worth of passengers basically,” Mann said.
Air Canada said its flights to the Caribbean and South America were continuing normally under guidance from Transport Canada, adding that it was monitoring the situation closely.