Airlines restore Caribbean flights after U.S. lifts airspace restrictions

United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and other U.S. carriers started resuming service to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean destinations early Sunday (Jan. 4) after U.S. aviation officials removed temporary airspace limits put in place after U.S. military strikes on Venezuela.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that the restrictions, which had been scheduled to remain in effect until midnight Eastern time, were lifted, allowing airlines to restart most of their regular flights on Sunday.

“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 wrote.

As previously reported, thousands of passengers travelling at the close of the New Year holiday were disrupted after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directed commercial flights to steer clear of parts of the region on Saturday (Jan. 3), leading to hundreds of cancellations.

Dozens of flights were cancelled to and from Puerto Rico, where the airspace was temporarily closed, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba and more than a dozen other destinations in the Lesser Antilles island group that lies north of Venezuela.

The actions also disrupted the travel plans of some cruise passengers, particularly those departing from San Juan.

Virgin Voyages, which homeports in the Puerto Rican city, issued a statement Saturday, acknowledging the situation, offering passengers whose inbound flights were cancelled due to closed airspace a full voyage credit

United said it would begin restoring operations with flights to San Juan and planned additional services on Sunday to help accommodate travellers impacted by the disruptions.

Delta Air Lines said it was also resuming Caribbean routes and working to rebook customers as flight schedules return to normal.

American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue were also among the carriers affected by the short-term airspace limits.

Airlines agreed to waive change fees and fare differences for passengers impacted by the shutdowns who rebooked travel for later in the month, with the waivers applying to more than a dozen airports across the region.

Canadian airlines respond

Transport Canada did not impose any flight restrictions. However, Canadian airlines still took steps in response to the situation.

While Air Canada’s flights to the Caribbean and South America operated normally yesterday, the airline did activate a flexible change policy.

Customers, flying on select Caribbean itineraries, can make voluntary changes to their booking if they purchased a ticket no later than January 2, 2026, for travel between now and January 6, 2026.

As for other airlines, Air Transat’s and Porter's flights to the Caribbean were not affected by yesterday’s events.

WestJet, meanwhile, cancelled its Saturday flights between Toronto and Aruba "out of an abundance of caution."

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