Caribbean holidaymakers stranded after US operation to seize Maduro halts flights
Even though the airspace restrictions will end at midnight on Sunday, airlines have warned that disruptions could continue for days
No airline flights were crossing over Venezuela that day, according to FlightRadar24.com. Major airlines cancelled hundreds of flights across the eastern Caribbean region and warned passengers that disruptions could continue for days after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed restrictions.
But US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday night that the restrictions would end at midnight and airlines would be able to resume normal operations on Sunday.
Even after the removal of curbs, however, airlines would need several days to restore normal operations, airline analyst Robert Mann said. “They have a day’s worth of passengers basically”, already stranded in the Caribbean.
Southwest Airlines said in a statement that it added six extra round-trip flights to Puerto Rico on Sunday’s schedule and another eight round-trips on Monday to help get travellers home from their holidays. It also added two additional Sunday flights to Aruba.