United Airlines Delays Venezuela Restart to January Amid Quake Damage
The Star Alliance carrier has postponed its planned Caracas service for a second time, pushing the launch date from October to mid-January as Venezuela's primary gateway remains shuttered following June's devastating earthquake.
United Airlines has pushed back the relaunch of flights linking Houston George Bush Intercontinational Airport with Caracas for the second time, with service now scheduled to begin January 12 rather than the previously announced October 6 start date, according to a report from Aeroroutes.
The delay stems from extensive infrastructure damage at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas caused by a major earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24. The country's primary air gateway remains closed to passenger operations with no confirmed reopening timeline, forcing airlines to divert traffic through Maracaibo La Chinita International Airport in the interim.
When service does commence, United plans to deploy Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on a daily overnight rotation designed to maximize connectivity through its Houston hub. The outbound flight is slated to depart at 11:55 PM, arriving in Caracas at 6:30 AM the following morning, while the return leg will leave Venezuela at 9:00 AM and reach Houston by 12:35 PM local time — both timed to facilitate onward connections across United's domestic and international network.
The January launch date would mark nearly six months since the airline's initial planned return to the Venezuelan market. Industry observers note the timeline remains fluid pending progress on airport reconstruction efforts and regulatory clearances from both U.S. and Venezuelan aviation authorities.
United did not respond to requests for comment on the revised schedule. The postponement underscores ongoing challenges facing carriers attempting to restore connectivity to earthquake-affected regions of South America, where remedial works continue at damaged aviation facilities.