Canceled Flights Across Caribbean Resume After US Captures Maduro

Air travel across the Caribbean has normalized after a day of disruptions triggered by a U.S. special forces operation that successfully captured Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Late Saturday night, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X that “original restrictions around Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00 a.m. ET and flights can resume.”

“Airlines are informed and will update their schedules quickly. Please continue to work with your airline if your flight was affected by the restrictions,” Duffy said.

UPDATE: The original restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00am ET and flights can resume.

Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly. Please continue to work with your airline if your flight was affected by the restrictions. https://t.co/5Cv46Xnjy4

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) January 4, 2026

There was widespread confusion on Saturday as flights across the Caribbean were canceled or delayed following the U.S. operation in Venezuela. Airspace over Puerto Rico was temporarily restricted, forcing the cancellation of departures from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, officials at the airport wrote in a statement. At least 150 outbound flights from the region’s busiest Caribbean hub were cancelled, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, while another 140 inbound flights bound for San Juan were also canceled.

Delta Air Lines said normal operations in the region would resume early Sunday after airspace restrictions were lifted at 13 Caribbean airports.

Some of the affected airports Delta listed included:

• V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU)

• Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA)

• Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI)

• Flamingo International Airport (BON)

• Curaçao International Airport (CUR)

• Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND)

• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)

• Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (SKB)

• Cyril E. King Airport (STT)

• Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX)

• Argyle International Airport (SVD)

• Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM)

• Hewanorra International Airport (UVF)

One reader traveling inbound to Cancún said early Saturday that his Frontier Airlines flight was delayed, citing the captain, who told passengers the disruption was due to airspace restrictions.

In addition to Delta and Frontier, American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines also experienced flight disruptions on Saturday.

Readers can catch up on the latest reporting (here), detailing Maduro’s capture, how he was captured by Delta Force operators, and his transfer with his wife to New York City, where he was placed in federal detention. Maduro has been charged with drug trafficking and terrorism-related charges. 

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026

The good news is that air traffic will begin to normalize across the Caribbean as restrictions expire and carriers begin restoring schedules.