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U.S. airlines suspended direct flights to Venezuela in 2019 due to safety, security concerns, crime risks, and U.S. government advisories (including potential detention of American citizens).

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security lifted the formal suspension of direct passenger and cargo flights earlier in 2026 (with the DHS notice retroactively effective around mid-April). This followed broader policy shifts, including after the reported capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The resumption is widely seen as a sign of thawing relations and improved conditions for travel and commerce between the two countries.

American Airlines received approvals and loaded the route into its schedule: direct flights go from Miami to Caracas (MIA-CCS/MAR), flying time a little over 3 hours. Tickets are now available for purchase. The resumption is subject to final government approvals and security assessments from both sides.

This marks the first regular U.S. commercial passenger service to Venezuela since the 2019 halt. Other airlines may follow, but American is leading the restart. Early bookings are primarily expected to consist of Venezuelan diaspora visiting family, business travelers, and individuals returning to the country. With over 1 million Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. as of 2024, the demand is largely driven by family reunification rather than religious tourism. 

As a predominantly Catholic country, Venezuela has several Catholic places of interest that will no doubt appeal to Catholic travelers.

For those of you who traveled to Betania, Venezuela to see the mystic Maria Esperanza, this may bring back some memories……since this was the route most often taken from the U.S. to Cracas back in the 1990’s.  In fact, there were  pilgrimages to Betania most months of the year. 

Once Maria died…and the government became more repressive, interest in traveling to Betania naturally faded away.   However, there were other points of interest as well, especially the Eucharistic Miracle reported in Los Teques, Venezuela.

Despite the resumption of commercial flights from the U.S., the current U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for Venezuela (as of March 19, 2026) is Level 3 – Reconsider Travel due to risks of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure. Some areas carry an even higher Level 4 risk (Do Not Travel).

This is an improvement from the previous Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory. The update removed specific indicators for “wrongful detention,” “unrest,” and “other” risks, coinciding with the phased resumption of U.S. embassy operations in Venezuela (starting January 2026) and the restart of direct flights. However, the core concerns remain significant.

Here is the link to the U.S. State Department.

The dictatorship in Venezuela has fallen….so now comes the question: “Is Cuba the next domino to fall?” And how will it affect Catholics in Cuba and elsewhere?

In March 2026, Cuba faces its most severe crisis in decades, driven by a U.S. oil blockade that has cut off fuel imports—previously supplied largely by Venezuela—following Maduro’s fall earlier this year. Severe blackouts plague the island: massive outages, including from the Antonio Guiteras plant shutdown in early March, have left millions without power for up to 20+ hours daily in places like Havana and Matanzas.

This has triggered protests (almost unheard of in the past), with residents banging pots in the dark (cacerolazos) and some even storming and torching local Communist Party offices amid frustration over shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and economic collapse.

Residents are no longer afraid of speaking out, and fear is the one thing that holds most repressive regimes together.  Without it, they lose power.

U.S. President Trump has intensified pressure, blocking alternative suppliers and floating ideas like a “friendly takeover.” Allies like Senator Lindsey Graham have declared Cuba the next domino to fall (did he borrow our title?), with its regime’s “days numbered” in a post-Venezuela push for regime change in the region. Amid the chaos, President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed on March 13 direct talks with the U.S., involving himself and former leader Raúl Castro. The discussions aim to resolve bilateral differences through “dialogue and respect” for sovereignty, with Cuba framing them as urgent to ease the fuel crisis. A related goodwill move released 51 prisoners via Vatican mediation.

While some see this as a sign of desperation and inevitable collapse—echoing the Soviet-era “Special Period”—others note the regime’s historical resilience through concessions rather than full surrender.

To be perfectly clear, Díaz-Canel and the Castro regime are tyrants. Any deals made with them will be pointless. They have imprisoned, tortured, and murdered their own people for over six decades.

Of course, as most know, you cannot negotiate with a terrorist regime and there is really only one choice: either the regime falls and is hopefully replaced by a democratic one, or the repression of the Cuban people continues…along with reprisals for those who dared to confront the government.

The domino teeters: For now, the regime adapts under extreme strain, but to some the outcome remains uncertain in this high-stakes 2026 standoff.

Here at the Catholic Travel Guide we hope (and expect) that this regime will fall and Catholics (as well as the general population) on the island have greater freedom.  In addition to freeing up the Cuban people, the fact that it is only 90 miles from the U.S.

Direct flights from Miami (MIA) to Havana (HAV) typically take around 1 hour, 30 minutes, serviced frequently by U.S. carriers like American Airlines and Delta. Today these flights are primarily Cuban Americans visiting family, alongside authorized U.S. travelers engaged in educational, religious, journalistic, or “Support for the Cuban People” activities….but soon we expect Cuba will probably be a popular pilgrimage destination for many Catholics, since the country has some some important shrines and churches.

You can read more about some of the Catholic places of interest in Cuba here on our site.