Flights canceled in Caribbean after US strikes Venezuela

Hundreds of flights in Puerto Rico and in the Caribbean have been canceled on Jan. 3 after the United States conducted large-scale strikes in Venezuela and captured the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.

The airspace in Puerto Rico has been restricted and flights from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in the island’s capital, San Juan, have been canceled, the airport said in a statement. Flights will be suspended until 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 4. At least 150 flights heading out of that airport, which is the Caribbean’s busiest hub, have been canceled, according ‌to FlightAware. An additional 140 flights headed to San Juan were canceled.

Other airports in Puerto Rico, including those in Ceiba, Aguadilla, Ponce, Isla Grande, Vieques ‌and Culebra, have canceled flights, according to Puerto Rico Ports Authority ‌Executive Director Norberto Negrón Díaz.

Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González described the closure as a national security measure during a radio interview, as reported by local news outlet El Nuevo Día. She added that local agencies were coordinating with federal partners to manage airport and cargo operations.

Several airlines have said they have canceled flights to other ​locations in the Caribbean.

JetBlue

JetBlue on Saturday, Jan. 3, said flights in more than ‌one dozen cities in the Caribbean are ⁠impacted due to airspace restrictions. The airline said the cities impacted are:

• Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (BQN)
• Antigua (ANU)
• Aruba (AUA)
• Bonaire (BON)
• Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI)
• Curaçao (CUR)
• Georgetown, Guyana (GEO)
• Grenada (GND)
• Ponce, Puerto Rico (PSE)
• Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (POS)
• San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
• St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (STX)
• St. ‌Lucia (UVF)
• St. Maarten (SXM)
• St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (STT)

The airlines said customers may rebook their flights for travel through Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, online in the manage trips section of jetblue.com prior to the departure time of their originally scheduled flight. In addition, customers who ‌had flights cancelled may also opt for a refund.

American Airlines

American Airlines noted flights from 19 Caribbean cities have been impacted due to airspace closure.

The cities who have had flights impacted include:

• Anguilla Wallblake, Anguilla (AXA)
• Antigua, Antigua (ANU)
• Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD)
• Aruba, Aruba (AUA)
• Beef Island, British Virgin Islands (EIS)
• Bonaire, Bonaire (BON)
• Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI)
• Curaçao, Curaçao (CUR)
• Fort de France, Martinique (FDF)
• Grenada, Grenada (GND)
• Melville ‌Hall, Dominica (DOM)
• Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP)
• Port of Spain, Trinidad and ​Tobago (POS)
• San Juan, ‌Puerto Rico (SJU)
• St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands (STX)
• St. Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKB)
• St. Lucia, Saint Lucia (UVF)
• St. Maarten, Saint Maarten (SXM)
• St. Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands (STT)

“We’re working around the clock to care for you on your travel journey,” the airline said.

Fees to change flights are waived if you bought your ticket by ‌Jan. 2, 2026, scheduled to travel between Jan. 3-4, or can travel between January 2-9, the airline said.

Delta Air Lines

Delta said in a statement the airline began canceling flights in the Caribbean starting on early Saturday morning. The airline said it’s ​closely monitoring the situation, but did not say which flights had been impacted.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines have flights impacted in three Caribbean cities:

• Aruba, Aruba (AUA)
• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ) 
• San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)

Customers can rebook or travel standby within 14 days without paying a fare difference. Refunds may be available for canceled or significantly delayed flights.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines flights from five ⁠Caribbean cities have been impacted:

• San Juan (SJU)
• Ponce (PSE)
• Aguadilla (BQN)
• Saint Martin (SXM)
• Aruba (AUA)

Change and cancellation fees are waived for flights from these cities. ​Fare differences may still apply, and canceled trips convert to travel credit.

Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines said flights from ⁠five Caribbean cities have been impacted. The cities include:

• San Juan (SJU)
• Aruba (AUA)
• St. Croix (STX)
• St. Thomas (STT)
• St. Maarten (SXM)

Rebooking will be allowed through Jan. 11.

This article originally appeared on USA Today

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