United Airlines is returning to Venezuela after a seven-year absence. The carrier will resume daily nonstop flights between Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas starting Aug. 11, pending government approval. This marks the airline's return to a route it operated for more than two decades before suspending service in June 2017.

The move comes just weeks after American Airlines completed the first direct commercial flight between the U.S. and Venezuela since 2019. That flight was hailed as the most visible symbol of President Trump's rapid normalization of ties with the oil-rich nation. The resumed service reflects improving diplomatic relations between the two countries.

United's return signals growing confidence in Venezuela's business environment. The route will serve both corporate travelers and the sizable Venezuelan diaspora in the United States. The airline will now compete with American Airlines, which has already re-established its presence on the route following the diplomatic thaw.