Venezuelan carrier Avior Airlines has asked the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to amend and renew its long-dormant authority to operate flights between Venezuela and the U.S., moving to position itself for a potential reopening of the market.
In a filing dated Feb. 3, Avior applied for an amended exemption and renewal of existing authority to operate scheduled passenger, cargo and mail services from Caracas, Maracaibo and Barcelona in Venezuela to Miami, as well as from Barcelona to Houston. The airline is seeking a two-year exemption period to allow it to resume U.S. operations once regulatory and safety requirements are met.
The application follows a Jan. 29 announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. would reopen commercial airspace over Venezuela and revoke a 2019 DOT order that suspended all scheduled and charter flights between the two countries on safety and security grounds. The move follows a Jan. 3 U.S. military operation that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Avior says it is prepared to restart U.S. service “upon receipt of all necessary regulatory and safety approvals,” including Venezuela regaining FAA Category 1 safety status.
The carrier already holds exemption authority allowing scheduled service between Barcelona, Venezuela and Miami, along with broad charter rights. It has repeatedly sought to expand that authority since 2016, including a bid to add Caracas-Miami service, but those requests were never acted upon while the bilateral market remained closed.
The filing comes amid a broader flurry of activity tied to the possible normalization of U.S.–Venezuela aviation ties. In late January, American Airlines said it was ready to resume daily service to Venezuela, pending government approval and security assessments. American was the last U.S. carrier operating in the country before suspending flights in March 2019 and previously accounted for nearly 60% of U.S.-Venezuela seat capacity.
Venezuela’s Laser Airlines has also revived a long-running bid to enter the U.S. market, asking DOT to act on an application first filed in 2011. Laser has proposed scheduled service from Caracas, Valencia and Maracaibo to South Florida using MD-80 aircraft.
Before the suspension, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows more than 360,000 two-way seats were offered between the U.S. and Venezuela in 2018, while Sabre Market Intelligence recorded nearly 602,000 two-way passengers that year.
Despite the reopening of airspace, significant uncertainty remains. Any resumption of scheduled service will depend not only on DOT approvals, but also on FAA safety oversight, Transportation Security Administration requirements and the evolving political and security situation in Venezuela.
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