MIAMI: The first direct flight between the United States and Venezuela in seven years landed at an airport near Caracas on Thursday, a new sign of a thaw after Washington deposed leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.

The American Airlines flight took off at 1426 GMT from Miami en route to the Venezuelan capital, where the United States has resumed diplomatic presence after years of tension.

The first flight’s manifest was dominated by officials and journalists, with senior officials from Washington flying to Caracas to meet government leaders, a prospect unthinkable just months ago.

Representatives of the city of Miami, a hub for Latin Americans that sees itself as a gateway to the region, greeted passengers at the gate, as did the Venezuelan ambassador to Washington, Felix Plasencia.

The inaugural flight featured a special Venezuelan menu, including corn pancakes known as cachapas and a Venezuelan-style chicken salad.

Some 1.2 million Venezuelans live in the United States, and the thaw is expected to boost the US business presence in the South American nation, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

But President Donald Trump has also been moving aggressively to remove Venezuelans from the United States, terminating a programme that shielded migrants from deportation.

US forces carried out a deadly raid in Caracas on Jan 3, snatching longtime US nemesis Maduro and flying him and his wife to New York to face charges of drug trafficking, which they deny.

Maduro was replaced by his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who has largely cooperated with the United States despite her ideological background.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026