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May 12 (Reuters) - United Airlines UAL.O said on Tuesday it will resume flying to Venezuela with daily direct flights between Houston and Caracas, about eight years after suspending operations to the country.

The carrier said its services between its hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas will start August 11.

It joins American Airlines AAL.O in restarting service to Venezuela after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in January lifted a 2019 ban on U.S. airlines flying to the country, following a directive from President Donald Trump.

The U.S. State Department lifted Venezuela from ⁠its "Do ​Not Travel" list for Americans in ​March, issuing a less serious "Reconsider Travel" advisory due to risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, ​and poor health infrastructure.

"This specific flight will be critical to ferrying oil sector workers into the country as the U.S. and Venezuela work together to expand production and generate new economic opportunities," U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy said on Tuesday.

United had offered flights to Venezuela for nearly 20 years before it suspended those services in 2017. The carrier plans to deploy its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on the route.