Washington.- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reiterated this Tuesday its warning to commercial airlines about the “worsening security situation” when flying over Venezuela and urged to take extreme precautions in the region with flight information (FIR) from Maiquetía, which covers the airspace controlled by the South American country and areas of the southern and eastern Caribbean.
The FAA warning is the second of its kind, following the one issued on November 22nd, and will be in effect from this Tuesday until February 19, 2026.
The message comes amid the climate of tension between Washington and Caracas, marked by the Southern Command’s anti-drug operations and the statements of US President Donald Trump about possible actions against drug trafficking in the region.
«The threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, as well as in the arrival and departure phases of the flight», the notice indicates, which also warns that the risk could extend to airports and aircraft on the ground within the affected region.
The U.S. military deployment near Venezuela
Following the first warning from the FAA, several airlines canceled or adjusted their flights to Venezuela, due to what the agency called a “potentially dangerous” situation in both Venezuelan airspace and areas of the southern Caribbean.
The warning is also framed within the unprecedented US military deployment in the Caribbean, defended by the White House as part of its strategy against drug trafficking from South America, but which the Venezuelan government, led by Nicolás Maduro, has denounced as a threat and an attempt to promote a regime change.
In addition, this Tuesday, the Panamanian airline Copa Airlines announced that it will extend until January 15 the temporary suspension of its flights to and from Caracas, pending that “the main runway of Maiquetía International Airport is again operational”.
Former President Trump stated on November 29th on his social network Truth that the Venezuelan airspace would remain closed “in its entirety”.
