JetBlue plans to start flights from Fort Lauderdale to Caracas. Here are the details
JetBlue Airways plans to start Caracas flights from Fort Lauderdale before the end of the year, the carrier said on Thursday, in what would be its first-ever service to the South American nation.
The New York-based airline that is increasingly adding flights in and out of FLL would be the third U.S. airline to start flights to Venezuela since the U.S. military removed strongman Nicolás Maduro from power in January and Washington started reestablishing ties.
JetBlue didn’t provide more specifics on frequency or timetable except to say it expected tickets will go on sale “in the coming months” and that the flights would be nonstop between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, just outside Caracas.
The airline will fly its Airbus A320 aircraft, which can accommodate 162 passengers.
The company said the new route “remains subject to receipt of government approval and completion of applicable processes to operate in Venezuela.” The country’s aviation regulator would need to sign off on the new route.
The entire process involved before starting service is a lengthy one.
After the U.S. military brought Maduro to New York, the Trump administration left in place Delcy Rodríguez to lead Venezuela. She was previously Maduro’s No. 2 and is implicated in a host of human-rights violations and acts of state repression, including torture and killings. But the Trump administration has bet on leaving her in place as an effective way to lead to a gradual transition.
While President Donald Trump has downplayed the importance of democracy returning to Venezuela, he has pressed forward with normalizing some business relations. Earlier in April, the Trump administration lifted a host of sanctions on Venezuela.
JetBlue follows American Airlines and United Airlines. On April 30, American Airlines resumed non-stop service between Miami International Airport and Caracas. United said in May it will return non-stop flights between Houston and Caracas, starting Aug. 11.
MORE: JetBlue ‘going to get a lot bigger’ with Fort Lauderdale hub, airline head says
Thursday’s announcement also comes just days after JetBlue said it was making a major bet on FLL following the demise of Spirit Airlines at the beginning of May.
The carrier has already added numerous flights and plans to convert Fort Lauderdale airport into its first hub, president Marty St. George said in a May 22 interview with the Miami Herald. It also plans to expand its pilots base there, he said.
“Right now, we’re bigger than we’ve ever been at FLL,” St. George said in that interview. “And we’re going to get a lot bigger.”
JetBlue in Thursday’s statement described Fort Lauderdale as “a key gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, where the airline offers customers an extensive network of destinations across the region.”
In the same statement, Dave Jehn, vice president of network planning and airline partnerships at JetBlue, said “we believe there is meaningful opportunity to expand our presence in the region with planned service to Caracas.”