Avianca has resumed flights to and from Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan after updated safety guidance from United States authorities cleared airlines to restart operations in the affected Caribbean airspace, restoring a vital link for stranded travelers at the height of the winter holiday season.

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Renewed U.S. Safety Guidance Opens Key Caribbean Corridors

The move by Avianca follows an emergency period in which U.S. regulators temporarily restricted airspace over parts of the Caribbean in response to heightened military activity tied to operations in Venezuela.

Those restrictions, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on January 3, effectively halted large portions of commercial traffic in and out of Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan, disrupting travel plans for tens of thousands of passengers.

Transportation officials announced that the curbs would expire at midnight Eastern Time on January 4, allowing airlines to begin restoring service as revised safety assessments confirmed that civil operations could resume with additional caution. Updated guidance instructed carriers to exercise vigilance around certain flight information regions but no longer prohibited normal commercial traffic into the affected island hubs.

Within hours of the revised notice, a wave of carriers across the Americas started rebuilding their schedules. For Avianca, which serves Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan from its hubs in Colombia and Central America, the new guidance provided the regulatory green light needed to restart operations, subject to ongoing security advisories and route planning to avoid higher-risk zones.

The reopening comes as regional governments and tourism boards push to reassure travelers that the affected airspace is once again safe for commercial operations, stressing that the restrictions were precautionary and time-limited rather than a response to a direct threat to civilian aircraft.

Avianca’s Gradual Return to Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan

In a statement from Bogotá on January 5, Avianca confirmed that it is resuming flights to and from Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan effective immediately, following the updated U.S. safety guidance that allows industry operations in the surrounding airspace to restart.

The airline said its top priority is to restore travel options for customers whose journeys were disrupted and to rebuild its regular schedule as quickly and safely as possible.

The carrier has begun operating a mix of scheduled services and additional recovery flights, designed to absorb the backlog of passengers who were stranded when the emergency closure took effect. Operations teams have been working with air traffic control authorities, airport operators and regional regulators to sequence departures and arrivals in a way that balances safety with the urgent demand for seats.

Avianca expects a transition period of several days before flight patterns normalize. Aircraft and crews that were out of position during the shutdown must be ferried back into the Caribbean network, and slots at busy airports such as San Juan and Aruba are being carefully managed to avoid further congestion.

Travelers may see minor schedule adjustments, aircraft swaps or last-minute timing changes as the airline stabilizes its operation.

The airline emphasized that all resumed flights would operate in compliance with current FAA and international safety advisories, including revised routings and altitude profiles where necessary.

While the core airspace bans have been lifted, advisories still call for enhanced caution around Venezuelan airspace and nearby flight regions, and carriers continue to refine routes in consultation with aviation authorities.

What Stranded Travelers Can Expect As Operations Restart

Avianca has started proactively rebooking customers whose flights were canceled or heavily delayed during the closure period, using both its regular schedule and extra services dedicated to recovery. Passengers with active reservations on affected routes are being contacted via email, app notifications and direct outreach from customer service teams with new itinerary details.

According to the airline, customers can also request adjustments to their travel plans within a defined window. Travelers who prefer to postpone their trip may rebook on the same route for dates up to 14 days after their newly assigned itinerary, subject to seat availability, without additional fare charges.

This flexibility is intended to help those who had to rearrange hotel stays, cruises or onward connections during the disruption.

While rebooking efforts are underway, Avianca is advising all passengers traveling to or from Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan in the coming days to monitor their flight status closely through official channels.

Given continuing congestion across the Caribbean, some flights may still be subject to delays even after services resume, particularly where airport ground resources and immigration facilities are working through pent-up demand.

For travelers who chose not to fly once the shutdown began, existing refund requests for unused trip segments will continue to be processed under standard policies. The airline notes that processing times may be longer than usual due to the exceptional volume of cases from the closure period, but says it is adding staff to speed up responses.

Regional Impact: From Sudden Shutdown to Measured Recovery

The brief but far-reaching airspace closure on January 3 sent shock waves through Caribbean aviation. Major U.S. and international carriers canceled or diverted hundreds of flights over a span of roughly 24 hours, with San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and key island gateways like Aruba and Curaçao among the hardest hit.

At the height of the disruption, San Juan alone saw hundreds of cancellations in a single day, while Aruba and Curaçao experienced near-total shutdowns of commercial arrivals and departures.

The timing could hardly have been worse. The first weekend of January is one of the busiest periods for leisure travel between North America and the Caribbean, as holidaymakers return home and winter sun seekers arrive. Hotels reported guests scrambling to extend stays, while others raced to secure ferries or limited regional seats to alternate gateways in hopes of connecting onward to the mainland.

As the FAA lifted restrictions at midnight on January 4, carriers across the region launched rapid recovery plans. U.S. airlines rolled out waivers allowing passengers to rebook without change fees, added extra sections on high-demand routes and repositioned parked aircraft and crews. European and Latin American carriers similarly announced the resumption of services, with some adding temporary capacity into Aruba and Curaçao to help clear backlogs.

Despite the swift regulatory turnaround, aviation analysts warn that the effects of the shutdown will ripple through schedules for several days. Aircraft that were stranded out of position, crews that timed out under duty limits and network knock-on effects are all factors that will continue to generate uneven operations, especially on niche leisure routes where frequencies are limited even in high season.

Safety, Airspace and the New Caribbean Travel Reality

Although the emergency restrictions have expired, security advisories remain active over several flight regions, including those covering Venezuelan, Curaçao and San Juan airspace.

These notices instruct pilots and airlines to exercise heightened caution due to military activities and potential navigational interference. For travelers, this may occasionally translate into longer routings, minor schedule shifts or rare in-flight deviations as crews respond to evolving traffic conditions.

Industry experts note that such advisories, while serious, are not unusual in geopolitically sensitive zones and are designed to ensure that civil aviation and military operations can safely coexist. Modern aircraft and dispatch systems can quickly adapt flight plans based on current advisories, weather and traffic flows, often with minimal impact noticeable to passengers.

For airlines like Avianca, the latest episode underscores the importance of agile network planning in a region where air routes can be influenced by events well beyond the islands themselves.

Carriers must constantly weigh directness and efficiency against the need to maintain safe distance from conflict areas or enhanced military traffic, and sudden regulatory changes can force rapid, temporary suspensions even when conditions on the ground in tourist destinations remain calm.

Tourism officials in Aruba, Curaçao and Puerto Rico are working in tandem with airlines and hotel associations to communicate that, with the airspace now reopened, visitors can travel safely to the islands.

They also stress that local infrastructure, from airports to resorts, remained fully functional during the shutdown and are now focused on welcoming delayed guests and new arrivals alike.

Guidance for Travelers Heading to Aruba

With operations resuming, travelers booked on Avianca services should take a few practical steps before heading to the airport. The airline advises checking flight status regularly in the 24 hours leading up to departure, as schedules are still being fine-tuned while aircraft and crew rotations normalize. Arriving earlier than usual for check-in can help buffer against queues, especially at peak departure times.

Customers whose original flights were canceled during the airspace closure are urged to wait for official communication from the airline regarding new itineraries before making independent changes.

Duplicate rebooking attempts through multiple channels can slow processing across the system. Those who need to adjust dates for personal reasons can contact the airline’s call center or digital service channels, referencing the original booking code for faster handling.

Travelers planning new trips to Aruba, Curaçao or San Juan in the coming weeks should keep an eye on airline advisories and, if possible, opt into notification services that provide real-time updates by text or app. While the current episode is easing, aviation authorities and carriers alike may continue to adjust rules and routings as the broader regional security situation evolves.

Experienced travel advisers also recommend reviewing insurance coverage for disruptions related to airspace closures or military activity, which are often treated differently than standard weather or mechanical delays. Some policies exclude such events outright, while others offer limited benefits that could help cover additional accommodation, meals or rebooking costs if future disruptions occur.

What This Means for Caribbean Tourism and Connectivity

The swift resumption of Avianca’s flights underscores how vital air links are to the economies of Aruba, Curaçao and Puerto Rico. These destinations rely heavily on international arrivals, particularly from North and South America, and any interruption to air service can have immediate impacts on hotels, cruise connections, tours and local businesses that depend on tourist spending.

Tourism boards and airport authorities in the three destinations have been quick to highlight the return of flights as a sign of resilience. They note that despite the disruption, forward bookings for the rest of the high season remain robust, supported by strong demand from travelers seeking beach escapes and cruise departures during the northern winter.

At the same time, the incident has triggered discussions among regional policymakers and industry stakeholders about the need for improved contingency planning.

Ideas under consideration include more formalized protocols for rapid communication with travelers during airspace shutdowns, better coordination between airlines and hotels on emergency accommodation and enhanced public information campaigns that explain the nature and duration of safety-driven restrictions.

For carriers, including Avianca, the episode may accelerate investments in operational flexibility, such as having alternative routings pre-modeled, bolstering crew reserves in key hubs and refining digital tools that allow large-scale rebooking to occur more seamlessly when sudden shocks hit the network.

FAQ

Q1: Why did Avianca suspend flights to Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan in the first place?
The suspension followed an emergency airspace restriction issued by U.S. authorities on January 3, 2026, in response to heightened military activity linked to operations in Venezuela, which affected routes serving those destinations.

Q2: When did Avianca resume flights to these destinations?
Avianca began resuming flights after the airspace curbs expired at midnight Eastern Time on January 4, 2026, with operational recovery efforts and additional services ramping up on January 4 and 5.

Q3: Are flights now operating on a normal schedule?
Most scheduled flights have restarted, but the airline expects several days of adjustments as it clears backlogs, repositions aircraft and normalizes crew rotations, so some delays or minor time changes may still occur.

Q4: I was stranded during the shutdown. How will Avianca rebook me?
Customers with affected reservations are being proactively rebooked on the next available flights and notified through email, app messages and direct contact from customer service with updated itineraries.

Q5: Can I change my travel dates without paying extra?
Yes, Avianca is allowing passengers on impacted routes to reschedule on the same origin and destination, within a defined window of up to 14 days from their new itinerary date, without additional fare charges, subject to seat availability.

Q6: What if I requested a refund instead of rebooking?
Refund requests for unused segments submitted during the disruption will continue to be processed under the airline’s standard policies, although processing times may be longer than usual due to high demand.

Q7: Is it safe to fly to Aruba, Curaçao and San Juan now?
U.S. authorities have lifted the emergency airspace restrictions and airlines, including Avianca, are operating under current safety advisories. Flights are routed and managed to maintain safe separation from areas of military activity.

Q8: Will my flight path avoid Venezuelan airspace?
Route planning is handled by the airline’s operations and dispatch teams in line with active FAA and international guidance, which currently emphasize caution and may require adjusted routings that limit exposure to higher-risk regions.

Q9: How should I prepare if I am traveling to these destinations soon?
Monitor your flight status regularly, arrive early at the airport, ensure your contact details are up to date in your booking and consider flexible arrangements for hotels and connections in case of residual delays.

Q10: Could similar airspace closures happen again in the near future?
Future restrictions cannot be ruled out given the evolving regional context, but any new measures would likely be communicated quickly by aviation authorities and airlines, which now have recent experience managing large-scale recovery in the Caribbean.