![CORRECTION / Passengers wait at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport as all flights are cancelled following US military action in Venezuela, on January 3, 2026, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country," Trump said on Truth Social. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Luis Munoz Marin International Airport] instead of [José Aponte De la Torre Airport]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require."](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/89247667/062f759b9666ca352f0c4ab7e9899f7d2bcd6883ffca65180107dc3641d553d1)
Overview
- Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan suspended commercial passenger and cargo operations under the FAA order until early Sunday, creating outsized ripple effects across the region.
- Flight-tracking data showed Venezuelan airspace empty as cancellations mounted, with Puerto Rico’s tourism authority reporting at least 307 scrapped flights and SJU tallying roughly 150 departures and 140 arrivals canceled.
- JetBlue cut about 215 flights systemwide, while American, Delta, United, Southwest, Spirit and Frontier issued waivers and reduced schedules across 13 to 20 eastern Caribbean airports.
- Non‑U.S. services were disrupted too, with some long‑haul flights rerouted or turned back to avoid restricted areas, as aviation risk firms raised the southern Caribbean to a higher alert level.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the restrictions would be lifted when appropriate, and airlines warned that normal schedules could take days to restore even after airspace reopens.