United Is Bringing Back Nonstop Flights to Venezuela for the First Time Since 2017, With Daily Service From Houston to Caracas

United Airlines is returning to Venezuela.

The carrier announced it will resume nonstop daily flights between Houston and Caracas beginning Aug. 11, restoring one of the most significant air links between the United States and Venezuela after nearly a decade.

The new route will operate between George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas, with United using a Boeing 737 MAX 8 on the service.

The return marks a major moment for air connectivity to the country, following American Airlines’ high-profile relaunch of Miami-Venezuela service last last month.

United had operated flights to Venezuela for more than 20 years before suspending service in June 2017 due to the political and security situation in Venezuela at the time.

Now the airline is coming back with daily flights.

The New Caracas Schedule

United’s new service launches Aug. 11 with one daily roundtrip flight.

The outbound flight will depart Houston at 11:45 p.m., arriving in Caracas at 5:30 a.m.

The return flight leaves Caracas at 8 a.m., arriving back in Houston at 12:30 p.m.

The route will operate daily aboard the airline’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Passengers onboard will have access to seatback entertainment screens at every seat, Bluetooth connectivity and streaming partnerships with platforms including Apple TV, HBO Max, Spotify and Peacock. United also says the aircraft will soon include Starlink Wi-Fi.

The airline says the route will reconnect Venezuela directly to United’s Houston hub, where travelers can continue onward to more than 180 destinations worldwide.

United currently operates up to 100 daily flights from Houston to more than 50 destinations across Latin America and the Caribbean region.

A Major Aviation Shift for Venezuela

The relaunch of the route comes amid broader changes in commercial aviation access between Venezuela and the United States after years of restrictions and suspended service.

Commercial flights between the two countries had effectively disappeared during the last several years, forcing travelers to route through third countries including Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

The return of nonstop service dramatically shortens travel times for both business and leisure passengers while restoring a direct connection between Venezuela and one of the largest airline hubs in the Americas.

“After nearly a decade, United welcomes the opportunity to resume service between Houston and Venezuela,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances.

Quayle said the flight would strengthen both cultural and economic ties while reinforcing Houston’s role as one of the region’s leading international gateways.

The route is also expected to serve energy-sector traffic between Texas and Venezuela.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the route would play an important role in moving oil-sector workers between the two countries as economic ties continue expanding.

Houston Keeps Growing as a Latin America Gateway

For United, the return to Caracas further strengthens Houston’s position as one of the airline’s most important gateways for Latin America and the Caribbean basin.

The airline has continued expanding service throughout the region during the last several years, particularly from Houston, where it is also preparing to unveil a major terminal redevelopment project later this year.

United says the new $2 billion Terminal B transformation at George Bush Intercontinental Airport will include 22 new mainline gates along with the largest United Club lounge in the airline’s network.

The addition of Caracas gives United another strategic route connecting Houston to northern South America, complementing existing service throughout the Caribbean basin and Latin America.

More Flights Returning Across the Region

The United announcement follows a broader reopening of commercial aviation links involving Venezuela during the last several months.

Several airlines have either resumed operations or increased frequencies tied to renewed access and improving diplomatic and economic conditions between Venezuela and international markets.

For travelers, the return of United’s nonstop flights removes one of the biggest barriers to reaching Venezuela from the United States: lengthy connections through other countries.

The relaunch also restores one of the most historically important U.S.-Venezuela routes in the hemisphere.

And for United, it adds another major destination back onto the carrier’s Latin America map after an absence of nearly nine years.