Restrictions have been lifted on flights from USA to Caribbean and South America, Airlines rush to accomodate.

• The United States has advised carriers its Caribbean airspace restrictions will expire at midnight ET (0500 GMT).
• The restrictions led to hundreds of cancelled flights following the US attack on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
• Carriers like United Airlines and Delta Air Lines immediately began preparing to restart their Caribbean routes.
• The FAA had closed ⁠the airspace “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity,” the agency said in a notice to airmen.

Airspace Restrictions that temporarily barred United States airlines from operating in parts of the Caribbean and South American airspace were lifted early Sunday, allowing flights to resume after a day of chaotic disruptions.

The development followed multiple Notices to Airmen issued Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration, citing safety risks linked to military activity in Venezuela across the Curacao, Maiquetia, Piarco, and San Juan flight information regions.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said late Saturday that the restrictions expired at midnight Eastern Time and that airlines were clearing backlogs.

The Secretary also advised travellers to check directly with carriers as schedules were updated.

United Airlines said it was preparing to resume Caribbean flights, beginning with service to San Juan, Puerto Rico, after hundreds of cancellations at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport on Saturday.

The airline expects to operate most scheduled flights on Sunday and plans additional services to assist affected passengers.

JetBlue also began restoring service and said it may add extra flights. The carrier said about 215 flights were cancelled during the disruption and urged customers to monitor flight status online or through its mobile app.

However, for the European carriers, a conflict-zone advisory for Venezuelan airspace issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency remained in effect, but Dutch carrier KLM said it would operate scheduled flights on Sunday after cancelling services to several Caribbean destinations a day earlier.

On November 29, 2025, President of the USA , DONALD J. TRUMP had made an announcement that 'the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety' :

"To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

On November 22, the FAA's NOTAM A0012/25 warned of a potentially dangerous situation in the Maiquetía FIR (SVZM), covering Venezuela and parts of the Caribbean, due to a deterioration in security and increased military activity.

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