Aerolíneas Argentinas has resumed using Venezuelan airspace after more than two years of restrictions, following efforts made by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno with the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez. The decision will allow the state-owned company to recover more direct routes to various destinations in the Caribbean and the United States.
The first overflight occurred on Saturday, August 15, when an Airbus A330-243 covering the Buenos Aires-Punta Cana route received authorization to once again cross Venezuelan territory, something that had not happened since early March 2024.
Airbus A330-243 of Aerolíneas Argentinas
The ban had been imposed by the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro as retaliation for the seizure of the Venezuelan-Iranian Emtrasur plane, which had been held in Ezeiza since June 2022 and was later transferred to the United States. During the administration of Javier Milei, the government allowed U.S. Justice and the FBI to proceed with the case in February 2024.
The Venezuelan regime's retaliation affected all aircraft with Argentine registration and forced changes to Aerolíneas' flight routes to Punta Cana, Aruba, and Miami. The detours involved longer routes and generated additional costs of thousands of dollars, mainly due to increased fuel consumption.
With the authorization restored, Aerolíneas will be able to incorporate Venezuelan airspace again for between 12 and 14 weekly flights to Miami, between four and five to Aruba, and between five and seven to Punta Cana.
The restoration of overflights adds to other signs of a gradual recomposition of the bilateral relationship, although the embassies of both countries have remained closed since August 2024. The relationship had reached one of its highest points of tension after Milei disregarded the electoral result proclaimed by Maduro and supported the victory of Edmundo González Urrutia.
Thanks to Milei, Aerolíneas Argentinas recorded a positive net worth after more than a decade of deficits
The normalization also comes at a favorable moment for Aerolíneas Argentinas. Under the leadership of Fabián Lombardo and the presidency of Javier Milei, the company reported net profits of $238 billion in 2025, marking its second consecutive year of positive numbers and, for the first time in its history, will have to pay income tax.
The return to Venezuelan airspace thus represents an operational advance for the airline and a new result of the diplomatic efforts of Milei's government, after a restriction that had increased the costs of some of its main international flights for more than two years.
