Operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro impacted Caribbean travelers

Nicolás Maduro's capture affected Caribbean flights

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. operation has caused major flight delays, because the FAA closed airspace over the Caribbean on the same day as the operation, which resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights. FOX 10's Marx Martinez has more.

PHOENIX - The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. operation has caused major flight delays, because the FAA closed airspace over the Caribbean on the same day as the operation, which resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

The backstory:

On Jan. 3, the U.S. launched operations that captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

Explosions and low-flying aircraft were reported Saturday across Caracas, with power outages in parts of the city. Maduro’s capture was announced by President Donald Trump in an early morning social media post.

The U.S. government has accused Maduro of running the Cartel de los Soles. In August, the U.S. announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.

Justice officials have accused Maduro of leading "a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking." It also alleged that the drug trafficking efforts "enriched and entrenched Venezuela’s political and military elite."

Big picture view:

Most of the canceled flights were to and from various Caribbean places like Aruba, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten.

The airspace was reopened by Jan. 4, but airlines are still scrambling to add dozens of extra flights to make up for the delays, and it has left people stranded in the Caribbean.

One Traveler's Perspective:

Heather Emmett, who has family in Phoenix, is currently in Puerto Rico. She was supposed to return to the U.S. on the morning of Jan. 3, but she has since been told she won’t be able to get a flight back until Sunday, Jan. 11.

"We scrambled to find some new flights, and there wasn't anything available - there really wasn't anything available at all for most of the morning - and then, I found something on JetBlue for the following Sunday, on January 11th," Emmett said. "We were supposed to be home on January 3. We couldn't ask for a better place to be stranded, but still it doesn't feel very good."

What's next:

Major airlines like American, Delta, Southwest, and United are adding extra flights for Jan. 5 and Jan. 6.

Officials with Delta say they have added over 2,600 seats on extra flights for Monday, adding that they are working to ensure all affected passengers are accommodated by Jan. 6.

Meantime, Venezuela is currently under a Level 4 travel advisory due to severe risk to U.S. citizens. The State Department says no commercial flights are currently operating in or out of Venezuela, and U.S. citizens in Venezuela are encouraged to establish multiple methods of communication.

The U.S. government says it is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela at this time.