Donald Trump has directed the quick reopening of commercial airspace over Venezuela, just weeks after US forces ousted dictator Nicolás Maduro. At the White House during his cabinet’s first meeting of the year, Trump said he spoke with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, informing her of the decision to restore flight access. “We’re going to be opening up all commercial airspace over Venezuela,” Trump told his team on Thursday. “American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela and they’ll be safe there.” He added that US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Pentagon officials had orders to implement the change quickly. Trump described Venezuela’s security as “under very strong control” following Rodríguez’s takeover. Commercial flights between the US and Venezuela have been suspended since May 2019 because of safety concerns. Last November, Trump declared Venezuelan airspace closed due to military risks. The US Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots to avoid the area, and airlines stopped flying there. Trump’s announcement marks a fast move towards improved relations with Caracas’ interim government, mainly made up of Maduro’s former aides. For US oil companies, reopening airspace opens doors to Venezuela’s massive oil reserves. However, infrastructure needs repairs after years of neglect. Trump revealed major US oil firms are already assessing sites in Venezuela. “We have the major oil companies going to Venezuela now, scouting it out and picking their locations, and they’ll be bringing back tremendous wealth for Venezuela and for the United States,” he said. Delcy Rodríguez, who once managed Venezuela’s feared Sebin intelligence, has occasionally opposed Washington but now works to rebuild diplomatic ties. She is pushing laws that Trump calls bringing Venezuela’s oil under US oversight. Rodríguez recently told oil workers she had “enough” of US orders, yet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks with Venezuela’s leaders have been “very respectful and productive.” Rodríguez also said the US agreed to unblock Venezuela’s foreign-held assets for healthcare and energy needs. US airline American Airlines, which stopped flights in March 2019, said Thursday it plans to restart nonstop flights to Venezuela in the near future.