Several airlines suspended flights to Venezuela on Saturday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommended that commercial flights"exercise extreme caution" when approaching Venezuelan airspace and the southern Caribbean.
National and international media report that the airlines Iberia, Avianca, TAP Air Portugal and Gol have canceled their schedules for this Saturday, although others continue to operate.
According to the digital media outlet El Diario Venezuela, the Maiquetía International Airport board currently indicates that other airlines such as Copa Airlines, Rutaca, Laser, Turkish Airlines and Wingo are maintaining their scheduled flights to Bogotá, Panama City, Havana (Cuba) and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) without problems.
The Venezuelan Association of Airlines reported that “international commercial flights could be affected by activities unrelated to civil aviation taking place in Venezuelan airspace (Maiquetía).”
The FAA issued a communication on Friday warning"about a potentially dangerous situation in the Maiquetía flight information region," which corresponds to airspace controlled by Venezuela, which also includes part of the southern and eastern Caribbean.
"The threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, arrival and departure phases," the document adds, noting that the risk also affects airports and aircraft on the ground in the region.
The US advisory, which will remain in effect until February 19, will not go so far as to prohibit flights, but it does require airlines to notify the regulatory body 72 hours in advance if any of their aircraft plan to enter Venezuelan airspace, and in that case provide specific details.
The FAA's warning comes after the arrival a week ago in the southern Caribbean of the USS Gerald Ford, the largest and most sophisticated US aircraft carrier, to join the large military deployment that the Pentagon has maintained in the region since the summer.
Washington maintains that the contingent seeks to combat drug trafficking and asserts that the Maduro government, which it considers the illegitimate president of Venezuela, is an integral part of drug trafficking in the region.
As part of this operation, the U.S. has destroyed nearly twenty boats apparently loaded with drugs in both the Caribbean and the Pacific, causing the death of at least 83 of their occupants.
Colombia activates security protocols due to international alert in Venezuelan airspace
In response to the US alert, Colombia's Civil Aeronautics Authority (Aerocivil) said on Saturday that it is in contact with airlines operating in the country to ensure air safety.
The notice, identified as NOTAM A0012/25, explained that deteriorating security conditions and increased military activity in and around Venezuela raise the level of risk for aircraft operating in that region.
Therefore, on Friday, Aerocivil requested that all commercial airlines operating routes that cross or approach the Maiquetía FIR (Caracas) submit an internal analysis of the impact of the notice on their operations.
According to Aerocivil, this analysis must include in detail the implications for their itineraries, possible diversions, and the measures they have adopted to reinforce security.
