Icelandair has applied for 78 Miami–Caracas charters and a US carrier seeks to fly Miami–Barcelona for Avior, DOT records show. Both are pending.
Cover image: Aircraft at Miami International Airport (file photo) — photo by Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Icelandair has applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to fly 78 round-trip passenger charters between Miami and Caracas from 1 November 2026 to 1 May 2027. A separate application would let a US carrier, Eastern Air Express, fly Miami–Barcelona (Venezuela) for Avior Airlines from 15 November 2026 to 15 November 2027. Both are pending in DOT's applications-on-hand list for the week ending 16 October, posted on regulations.gov on 19 October.
These are applications, not schedules, in a market that reopened to US flights only this year and whose main airport is still recovering from the 24 June earthquakes.
What have Icelandair and Eastern Air Express applied for?
The Icelandair entry, under foreign airlines' fifth-freedom charters, names "OK's Travel Services, Inc." as charterer and requests "78 r t PAX" (round trips, passengers) for "11/1/26-5/1/27". It first appears in the 9 October week's list, not the 2 October one.
Spread evenly over 181 days, that is about three round trips a week, by Travel Market News's calculation. The list gives no aircraft type or timetable, and we found no public website for OK's Travel Services.
The second entry, new in the 16 October list, sits under US carriers' long-term wet leases: Eastern Air Express, "Miami-Barcelona, Venezuela", lessee "Avior Airlines, C.A.", period "11/15/26-11/15/27". It states no number of flights.
Two US operators use that name, according to ch-aviation: the former Hillwood Airways, a Boeing 737 charter airline bought in August 2023 by Eastern Air Holdings, parent of Eastern Airlines, and a separate Florida charter operator based at Opa-Locka. The DOT list does not say which filed.
Why would Avior use a US airline to reach Miami?
The FAA's latest published safety assessment results, dated 18 April 2025, rate Venezuela Category 2. Airlines from such countries may not add or change US service, but the FAA says "new services will be permitted if operated using aircraft wet-leased from a duly authorized and properly supervised U.S. carrier".
In March 2018, ch-aviation reported that Avior held Barcelona–Miami authority and flew Caracas–Miami daily on MD-83s wet-leased from World Atlantic Airlines.
Avior's website, which places its head office in Barcelona, lists Miami as "Coming soon" without a date. Its latest news item, dated 4 September, does not mention the application.
Where do US–Venezuela flights stand as of 25 October 2026?
DOT suspended all flights between the two countries from 15 May 2019 and, at the US President's direction, rescinded the suspension on 29 January 2026, according to a Department of Homeland Security notice.
American Airlines restarted Miami–Caracas on 30 April. The earthquakes then shut the airport until 1 September, when it partly reopened from a temporary terminal that the airport said could handle 2,168 passengers a day, the Associated Press reported.
On 16 October American announced three weekly Miami–Barcelona flights from 15 January 2027, taking it to 24 weekly US–Venezuela flights, including twice-daily Caracas (see our 2026 route launches tracker). Stephen Neuman, its government affairs chief, called American "the only U.S. airline serving Venezuela". US airline Global X also flies Miami–Caracas daily for Venezuela's Laser Airlines, a service launched on 1 May, according to Aviación al Día and FlightAware data.
| Operator (for) | Route | Status, 25 October | Period | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Miami–Caracas | Operating | Since 30 April; paused during quake closure | Daily; twice daily planned |
| Global X (Laser Airlines) | Miami–Caracas | Operating | Began 1 May | Daily |
| American Airlines | Miami–Barcelona | On sale from 19 October | From 15 January 2027 | 3 a week |
| Icelandair (OK's Travel Services) | Miami–Caracas | Pending at DOT | 1 November 2026 to 1 May 2027 | 78 round trips |
| Eastern Air Express (Avior Airlines) | Miami–Barcelona | Pending at DOT | 15 November 2026 to 15 November 2027 | Not disclosed |
What happens next, and who has commented?
DOT must rule on both, and the list notes where objections can be sent.
DOT's list for the week ending 23 October could not be downloaded on 25 October, so either status may have changed.
Icelandair had not commented publicly as of 25 October 2026; its group newsroom does not mention Caracas. We found no statement from Eastern Air Express or OK's Travel Services. For passengers, a wet-leased flight resembles a codeshare where another airline operates your plane.
Frequently asked questions
Has Icelandair been approved to fly Miami–Caracas charters?
No. DOT's list for the week ending 16 October 2026 still marked Icelandair's request for 78 round-trip Miami–Caracas charters, 1 November 2026 to 1 May 2027, as pending. We found no fares on sale as of 25 October.
Why would Avior use a US airline to fly to Miami?
Venezuela is rated Category 2 in the FAA's latest published results. Its airlines cannot add or change US service, but the FAA permits new service on aircraft wet-leased from a properly supervised US carrier, as the pending Eastern Air Express application proposes for Avior.
Are there direct flights between the US and Venezuela now?
Yes. DOT lifted its 2019 suspension in January 2026. American Airlines resumed Miami–Caracas on 30 April and adds Barcelona from 15 January 2027; Global X also flies Miami–Caracas daily for Venezuela's Laser Airlines. Earthquakes closed Caracas airport from 24 June to 1 September.
What is a fifth-freedom charter?
Under DOT's charter rules (Part 212), it is a charter carrying traffic that begins and ends in countries other than the airline's own, whether or not it stops at home, such as an Icelandic airline flying Miami to Caracas. Elsewhere, a service that never touches the home country is usually called seventh freedom. Such charters need DOT's prior approval; requests show as pending until DOT acts.
Sources
- US DOT, weekly list, 16 October
- US DOT, weekly list, 9 October
- DHS, US–Venezuela flight suspension rescinded
- American Airlines, first-ever service to Barcelona
- American Airlines, return to Caracas
- AP, Venezuela's main airport partially resumes flights
- FAA, IASA category definitions
- FAA, IASA results, 18 April 2025
- ch-aviation, Hillwood to rebrand as Eastern Air Express
- ch-aviation, Avior reiterates Miami–Caracas desire (2018)
- Aviación al Día, Laser resumes Caracas–Miami with Global X
- FlightAware, GXA200 flight history
