Passengers wait at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on January 3, 2026, as all flights are canceled due to U.S. military action in Venezuela.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo | AFP | Getty Images
Airlines including United Airlines and Delta Air Lines began resuming flights to Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean early Sunday after U.S. aviation officials lifted temporary airspace restrictions imposed in the wake of the U.S. attack on Venezuela.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X that the temporary restrictions are set to expire at midnight ET, paving the way for airlines to resume most scheduled flights on Sunday.
“Airlines have been provided with information and schedules will be updated shortly,” Duffy said.
Thousands of travelers were affected at the end of the holiday period after the US Federal Aviation Administration ordered commercial airlines to avoid parts of the region on Saturday, causing hundreds of flight cancellations.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the attack resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
united airlines The airline announced it would resume flights to San Juan and planned additional departures on Sunday to accommodate the confused passengers. delta airlines has resumed its Caribbean routes and said it is working to rebook affected customers as schedules normalize.
frontier airlines He also confirmed to CNBC that normal operations have resumed.
Also includes other airlines affected by temporary restrictions. american airlines, southwest airlines and jet blue airlines.
The airline waived change fees and fare differences for customers affected by the closure who rebooked their flights later in the month. More than a dozen airports in the region are included in the exemption.
The brief closure highlighted how military action can quickly disrupt commercial air travel, potentially forcing airlines to ground operations far beyond the immediate conflict area.
Major U.S. airlines have not operated direct flights to Venezuela for years. American Airlines was the last major airline to suspend flights to the country amid the unrest in 2019.
