Trump Orders Reopening of Venezuelan Airspace for Commercial Flights

Trump said U.S. citizens will soon be able to safely travel to Venezuela.

President Donald Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio monitor U.S. military operations in Venezuela, from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. Molly Riley/The White House via Getty Images

On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump announced he had instructed the Transportation Secretary to reopen Venezuela’s airspace to commercial flights.

Trump ordered Venezuela’s airspace “closed in its entirety” on Nov. 29, 2025, as he ramped up pressure against then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Now, almost a month after Trump ordered U.S. forces to capture Maduro to face prosecution in the United States for narcotics trafficking, the U.S. president is relaxing airspace restrictions.