FAA Issues Airspace Alert Over Venezuela Amid Escalating Military Activity

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a NOTAM warning airlines of a "worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela." The advisory urges operators to exercise caution at all altitudes — including during overflight, arrivals and departures, and while aircraft are on the ground — but does not prohibit flights over the country.

"Operators should exercise caution due to threats at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground."

In background materials accompanying the notice, the FAA reported an uptick in interference with global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) in Venezuelan airspace since September. The agency said this interference has, in some cases, produced "lingering effects throughout a flight," and noted an increase in Venezuelan military readiness, including multiple exercises and the mass mobilization of thousands of military and reserve personnel.

The FAA also noted that Venezuelan authorities have not indicated an intent to target civil aviation. The agency said it will continue to monitor the risk environment for US civil aviation operating in the region and will adjust guidance as appropriate.

Commercial context: scheduled direct passenger and cargo flights between the US and Venezuela have been suspended since 2019. Some US carriers have continued to overfly Venezuelan airspace en route to other South American destinations; American Airlines said it stopped overflying Venezuela in October, while other carriers did not immediately comment.

The advisory comes as the US has deployed a significant military presence to the region, including an advanced carrier strike group, additional naval vessels with thousands of service members, and F-35 fighter aircraft. US officials say the deployments are part of operations targeting Latin American drug-trafficking networks.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has warned that the military buildup could be used as a pretext to try to remove his government, while US officials have intensified criticism of Maduro and accused him of involvement in drug trafficking. Separately, US forces have conducted strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific; US statements say roughly 20 vessels have been struck since early September and more than 80 people were killed in those operations.

There has been no public presentation of conclusive evidence by US authorities demonstrating that all targeted vessels or their crews posed a direct threat; legal experts have raised concerns and described some of the strikes as potentially extrajudicial. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 has also indicated that US flight operators must now provide 72 hours' prior notice to the FAA before flying through Venezuelan airspace.

The FAA emphasized that the NOTAM is intended to inform and protect civil aviation by highlighting evolving hazards and that airlines and pilots should follow guidance and exercise heightened caution when operating in or near Venezuelan airspace.