SAN JUAN (Reuters) — The United States has advised airlines its Caribbean airspace curbs will expire at midnight EST (0500 GMT) and flights could resume as schedules are quickly updated, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday.
The comments on X followed the cancelation of hundreds of flights by major airlines after the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro.
Key carriers United Airlines and Delta were readying to resume flights to the Caribbean by today.
In a statement, United said a flight to San Juan in Puerto Rico was planned for Saturday night, adding, “We expect to operate most scheduled flights to the region for Sunday.”
Delta Air Lines expects to fly its normal Carribean schedule on Sunday, it said in a statement, but adjusted to reposition resources.
Even after the removal of curbs, however, airlines will need several days to restore normal operations, said airline analyst Robert Mann, adding, “They have a day’s worth of passengers basically,” already stranded in the Caribbean.
American Airlines, Delta, United, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways began cancelling flights, in line with Federal Aviation Administration airspace closures in the Caribbean.
JetBlue canceled 215 flights, an airline spokesperson said.
In a notice to airmen, the FAA said it closed the airspace to U.S. carriers “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.”
In other security notices for non-U.S. air carriers, the agency warned them away from Venezuelan airspace.
It cautioned British operators against “potential risk from anti-aircraft weaponry and heightened military activity” if flying within 100 miles (160 km) of Venezuelan airspace.
The FAA declined further comment.
Non U.S. airline also cancel flights
Several European and South American airlines also canceled flights.
The curbs would be lifted “when appropriate,” Duffy had said in a post on X.
American military activity near Venezuela led to a near mid-air crash in November between a JetBlue airliner and a U.S. aerial refueling tanker, media said.
Several carriers waived change fees and fare differences for customers affected by the closures if they postponed travel.
Saturday’s U.S. military operation captured Venezuela’s long-serving President Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said, promising to put the country under American control for now, by deploying U.S. forces if necessary.
Air Canada said its Caribbean and South American operations were normal, under guidance from Transport Canada, and it was monitoring the situation, adding, “We will update as required if the situation changes.”
Commercial air traffic over Venezuelan airspace appeared to stop after Saturday’s attack, records on tracker FlightRadar24 showed.
Virgin Islands Free Press’ analysis
Today, Sunday, January 4, 2026, the situation for Caribbean air travel is transitioning from yesterday’s total shutdown to a full-scale recovery effort.
The FAA emergency restrictions that grounded flights on Saturday—following U.S. military action in Venezuela—officially expired at midnight EST. As a result, U.S. and non-U.S. carriers are moving back toward normal schedules, though significant “echo” delays remain.
U.S. Airlines: Returning to Service
U.S. carriers, which were the most restricted by yesterday’s “Notice to Air Missions” (NOTAM), are now clear to fly but are prioritizing repositioning planes and crews.
- JetBlue & Delta: Each airline was hit hard yesterday, with JetBlue alone cancelling at least 200 flights. Each has announced they plan to operate normal Caribbean schedules today, though they warn of “repositioning adjustments” that may lead to short-term delays.
- Southwest Airlines: To combat the backlog of thousands of stranded passengers, Southwest has added extra round-trip flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Aruba for today and tomorrow.
- American & United: Both have resumed service to their primary Caribbean hubs (like San Juan, St. Thomas, and Sint Maarten) but are still “capping fares” and managing a massive volume of re-booked passengers.
Non-U.S. Airlines: Ramping Up
Non-U.S. carriers were not strictly banned by the FAA yesterday but many cancelled for safety reasons.
- KLM: After cancelling several flights to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao on Saturday, KLM has confirmed it is resuming normal operations today.
- Air Canada & WestJet: Air Canada largely maintained operations yesterday and continues to fly normally today. WestJet, which cancelled Aruba flights yesterday “out of an abundance of caution,” is evaluating a return to service for today’s flights.
- Regional Carriers: Airlines like Caribbean Airlines reported no major disruptions and are operating as scheduled today.
Summary of Travel Impacts
| Category | Current Status (Jan 4, 2026) |
| Airspace | Open. The FAA ban on the Maiquetía (Venezuela) and San Juan FIRs expired at midnight. |
| Flight Availability | Mostly normal schedules, but seats are limited due to rebooking 1/3/26 passengers. |
| Waivers | Active. Most major airlines (Delta, JetBlue, American) have travel waivers in place through Jan 6th. |
| Risk Areas | Flights routing within 100 miles of Venezuelan airspace may still see minor rerouting to avoid active military zones. |
Pro-Tip: If you are flying today, do not rely on the airport monitors alone. Because airlines are “manually” rebuilding their schedules after the disruption, your airline’s mobile app will have the most current gate and timing info.
By REUTERS
Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle, David Shepardson in Washington, Preetika Parashuraman and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese, Rod Nickel and Clarence Fernandez
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
