Copa Airlines (CM, Panamá City Tocumen International) has resumed scheduled passenger flights to Venezuela following a three-week long suspension brought by a recent diplomatic spat between Panama and Venezuela.

Copa said in a statement that given approval by the Venezuelan civil aviation authority (Instituto Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil - INAC), service from Panamá City Tocumen International to each of Caracas Simón Bolivar and Valencia Arturo Michelena International resumed on May 1 with Maracaibo to resume on May 17. Likewise, INAC has confirmed that Venezuelan carriers Laser Airlines (QL, Caracas Simón Bolivar), Conviasa (V0, Caracas Simón Bolivar), Turpial Airlines (T9, Valencia Arturo Michelena International), Avior Airlines (9V, Barcelona José Antonio Anzoategui), and Venezolana (WW, Maracaibo) have been greenlighted to resume their respective services to Panama.

The decision to mend strained relations between Panama City and Caracas came as an April 26 deadline for the termination of all passenger flights between the two states loomed.

Panama’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision to restore diplomatic ties was taken "in the interest of maintaining constructive bilateral relations without affecting the welfare of its citizens."

Both Panama and Venezuela have also agreed "to reestablish the presence of the ambassadors" and "to maintain the diplomatic dialogue open in order to continue addressing the various aspects of the bilateral agenda."