Puerto Rico Flights Resuming After Airspace Reopens—What Stranded Visitors Need to Know

What’s happening? Puerto Rico’s airspace reopened early Sunday morning, January 4, following the temporary restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a result of the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.

The first commercial flights began landing from Newark, Miami, and Washington D.C., marking the start of the return to normal operations, the Tourism Company reported.

• “With the reopening of the airspace, our immediate focus is to support a gradual resumption of flights, working hand in hand with airlines, airports, and the various components of the tourism industry to efficiently manage the backlog and passenger rebooking processes,” said Tourism Company Executive Director Willianette Robles Cancel.

The impact summary. The restrictions, which went into effect at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, caused the cancellation of 420 flights in a single day:

• 401 cancellations at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
• 13 cancellations at Rafael Hernández International Airport (BQN)
• 6 cancellations at Mercedita International Airport in Ponce (PSE)

This affected approximately 48,000 passengers in San Juan and about 700 additional passengers at regional airports, according to Jorge Hernández, president of Aerostar.

As of 8:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 4, San Juan reported 20 cancellations while Aguadilla and Ponce reported none.

Cruise ships operating normally.

Airspace restrictions did not affect maritime operations. The four cruise ships scheduled for today are disembarking without issues at San Juan Bay:

• Norwegian Epic: 4,100 passengers
• Grand Princess: 2,600 passengers
• Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas: 2,100 passengers
• Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Ilma: 448 passengers

On Saturday, Tourism Company Director Willianette Robles reported that flight cancellations affected about 2,100 cruise passengers, but officials relocated half to hotels.

How the Government responded. Governor Jenniffer González signed Executive Order 2026-001 to coordinate the response between agencies such as Tourism, Ports, State, and security departments. The contingency plan activated the following resources:

• The Puerto Rico Convention Center in Miramar
• Designated hotels: Fairmont El San Juan, Royal Sonesta (Isla Verde), and Sheraton in the Convention District. The ballrooms at Aloft San Juan and Hyatt Place in Bayamón and Manatí were also available.
• Free transportation from the airport to these locations
• A call center for direct assistance (1-800-981-7575)

In total, the government provided space for 1,160 people.

Read more: Contingency Plan Activated for Visitors After Flight Cancellations Due to Venezuela Situation