Dozens of Caribbean flights canceled after US strikes Venezuela

Major U.S. airlines canceled dozens of flights to the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, after the Trump administration launched a “large-scale” attack on Venezuela.

The move came after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented flight restrictions in the region following the U.S. military operation, which included the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

“American Airlines is aware of the FAA-mandated airspace closures in the Eastern Caribbean that were issued overnight and is closely monitoring the situation with the agency,” American Airlines wrote in a statement. “We are making schedule adjustments as necessary with the safety and security of our customers and team members top of mind.”

Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines issued similar statements.

“Delta began cancelling flights early Saturday morning in compliance with FAA airspace closures in the Caribbean,” the company wrote. “As cancellations are processed, customers will receive notifications via the Fly Delta app and contact information listed in their reservation.”

Southwest said its trips to Aruba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico were canceled or will be diverted. The airline offered passengers the ability to alter their travel plans or may be eligible to collect a refund.

JetBlue canceled more than 200 flights due to the airspace closures. The airline noted that its flights to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica were not affected.

The Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados issued its own memo sharing that it would remain open.

It is unclear how long the restrictions will last.

Trump, in a phone interview with The New York Times early Saturday, touted the military operation as “brilliant.” He also told Fox News later in the morning that two U.S. troops were injured in the operation, but no deaths were reported.

“I think we had nobody killed, I have to say because a couple of guys were hit. But they came back and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape,” the president said. “We lost no aircraft. Everything came back, we got it all back.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi outlined the charges Maduro faces in a post online, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices against the United States. The Venezuelan leader was first indicted in 2020.

The move has garnered praise from some Republicans and strong pushback from Democrats. Venezuelan-ally Russia has also condemned the move.