The Government of El Salvador closed the international airport in San Salvador to all departing and arriving commercial flights as of March 18, 2020. They have not announced a date in which the airport will reopen to commercial flights. U.S Embassy-arranged repatriation flight options are open to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States.

HUMANITARIAN REPATRIATION FLIGHTS (Buy your ticket from the airline. Prices set by the airlines.)

United Airlines and Avianca notified the U.S. Embassy that they will offer humanitarian flights for U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents.

UNITED AIRLINES:

To purchase a ticket with United Airlines, please visit www.united.com, email corporativosal@united.com  or call 2207-2040 / 2136-7590.

Please do not contact the Embassy to purchase a ticket.

United is offering flights on the following dates:

• Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Flights offered twice weekly.
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Flights offered twice weekly.
• Newark, NJ (EWR) – Flights offered twice weekly.

Traveling to the airport:

• Passengers with return tickets to the United States should consider the following:
• Anyone with flu-like symptoms will not be allowed to board a flight. Travelers exhibiting flu-like symptoms should not come to the airport. These individuals should self-quarantine and seek medical attention if their symptoms worsen.
• The airlines will provide documents confirming your flight.  Please print this letter and a copy of your ticket to present at checkpoints when traveling to the airport. You should also give a copy of this letter and your flight confirmation to friends/family members who drive you to the airport to facilitate their return home.
• Normal services at the airport are closed. Please take snacks, food, and water that you may need for your trip.
• We suggest travelers carry additional cash for their trip to cover any unexpected expenses.

Please continue to monitor the Embassy website and social media accounts for additional options as they become available.

Read our FAQ: https://sv.usembassy.gov/19-repatriation-flights-qa/

Generally a lawful permanent resident can remain outside the United States for up to one year without having a problem to re-enter the United States. Legal permanent residents who have questions about their length of time outside of the United States should contact the  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Please visit their website for additional information: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-green-card-granted/international-travel-a-permanent-resident  (Spanish: https://www.uscis.gov/es/tarjeta-verde/despues-de-otorgada-la-tarjeta-verde/viajes-internacionales-como-residente-permanent)

Message from the U.S. Embassy Spokesperson:

On March 18, 2020, the government of El Salvador suspended all commercial flights. They have announced that commercial flights will resume on August 6, 2020. The U.S. Embassy in El Salvador continues to coordinate repatriation flights for U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents to return to the United States. To date, we have assisted approximately 10,000 U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents to return to the United States through repatriation flights. If you are interested in repatriating before the airport reopens to commercial travel, please visit our repatriation flight booking page: https://sv.usembassy.gov/repatriation-flights-booking-information

If you intend to stay in El Salvador, please make sure that you have registered in the Smart Traveller Enrollment Program (STEP) at http://step.state.gov/. The registration process is broken down into two easy steps. First, you’ll have to create an account and fill in your personal information (date of birth; passport number; and email address or US phone number). You are also asked to provide an emergency contact. You will also create a password to access your account. Second, you will log-in with the username and password that you just created. You then register that you are in El Salvador and the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador is your nearest U.S. government office.  You may put any date of arrival, but you should check the box for departure date is “indefinite”. You are not required to put a purpose of travel, and you may leave this box blank if you choose to. However, you must provide one El Salvador phone number and/or address. That’s it!  If you have any trouble using this application, please email CASTEP@state.gov.

Generally a lawful permanent resident can remain outside the United States for up to one year without having a problem to re-enter the United States. Legal permanent residents who have questions about their length of time outside of the United States should contact the  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Please read the information on this website: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-green-card-granted/international-travel-a-permanent-resident  (Spanish: https://www.uscis.gov/es/residencia-permanente-tarjeta-verde)

Please read the latest Health Alert information very carefully, as it is pertinent to U.S. citizens in El Salvador, which is listed on this page of the website: https://sv.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/security-and-travel-information/

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Flight booking Information: https://sv.usembassy.gov/repatriation-flights-booking-information/

Frequently asked questions: https://sv.usembassy.gov/19-repatriation-flights-qa/

By U.S. Embassy San Salvador | 24 May, 2020 | Topics: Messages for U.S. Citizens | Tags: covid19, flights, repatriation, US citizens