Passengers wait at Luis Munoz Marin Worldwide Airport as all flights are cancelled following US army motion in Venezuela, on January 3, 2026, in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo | Afp | Getty Pictures
Airways scrambled so as to add dozens of additional flights for tens of hundreds of stranded vacationers all through the Jap Caribbean on Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration’s flight restrictions within the space expired. The FAA had closed airspace within the area to business flights after the united statesstrikes in Venezuela a day earlier.
The flight curbs had compelled airways to cancel a whole bunch of flights within the area on Saturday, stranding prospects on the finish of the busy vacation interval.
FlightAware confirmed about 20 cancellations in San Juan on Sunday, in contrast with 400 a day earlier. Nevertheless disruptions for some vacationers might final for days as a result of seats had been scarce and beforehand scheduled flights had been packed for the top of the New 12 months vacation weekend and faculty holidays.
Airways obtained complaints from some customers on X that they could not discover accessible seats again to the U.S. till the top of the week. Some stated they did not have locations to remain or could not afford further nights at Caribbean accommodations.
Passengers sleep on the ground, after flights had been delayed and cancelled when the airspace was closed on account of U.S. strikes on Venezuela in a single day, at Luis Munoz Marin Worldwide Airport in Carolina, close to San Juan, Puerto Rico January 3, 2026. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo REFILE – CORRECTING LOCATION FROM “RAFAEL HERNANDEZ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN AGUADILLA” TO “LUIS MUNOZ MARIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN CAROLINA”.
Ricardo Arduengo | Reuters
American Airways informed CNBC it added 17 further flights between San Juan, Puerto Rico, in addition to Aruba, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica and Barbados, and its hubs in Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina. Southwest Airways added six further round-trips between San Juan on Sunday and one other eight on Monday in addition to two further flights to Aruba on Sunday.
“We’re on the lookout for alternatives so as to add extra capability to each locations within the coming days,” the airline stated in an announcement.
However as of Sunday morning, even new flights had been listed as unavailable on airline web sites, as seats bought out shortly within the demand surge.
United Airways and Delta Air Traces additionally stated they plan so as to add further flights on Sunday. Carriers had been evaluating utilizing bigger planes, like these usually used for Europe or Asia, to accommodate the surge in demand. The airways waived change charges and fare variations for patrons affected by the closures in the event that they rebooked flights later within the month. Greater than a dozen airports within the area had been included within the waivers.
Main U.S. airways haven’t served Venezuela immediately for years. American Airways was the final main service to halt flights to the nation in 2019 amid unrest.
The short-term restrictions had been set to run out at midnight ET, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in a publish on X.
The US’ assault on Venezuela resulted within the seize of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse. Maduro was indicted on narco-terrorism conspiracy and different expenses within the Southern District of New York. His indictment was unsealed and posted on-line by U.S. Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi on Saturday.
The flight restrictions after the U.S. assaults underscored how shortly army motion can disrupt civilian air journey, forcing airways to droop operations effectively past the quick battle zone.
Airways have been compelled to take longer routes to keep away from airspace if not periodically halt flights altogether on account of conflicts within the Center East in addition to after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
— CNBC’s Victor Loh contributed to this text.
