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FAA Issues 60-Day Caution Over Mexico and Parts of Central and South America for Military, GPS Risks

The notices run through mid-March citing GNSS disruption risk plus unspecified military activity.

Overview

  • The FAA issued international NOTAMs effective Jan. 16–Mar. 17 covering the Mexico Flight Information Region, including the Pacific and Gulf of California, the Mazatlán Oceanic FIR, portions of the Central America and Panama FIRs, and the Bogotá and Guayaquil FIRs.
  • The advisories warn of potential military activity and GNSS/GPS interference affecting flights at all altitudes, including during overflight as well as arrival and departure phases.
  • A separate notice applies to a defined segment of eastern Pacific airspace located outside any established FIR.
  • The FAA did not identify the source of the risk, while Mexican authorities said the advisory is a precaution for U.S. operators and imposes no restrictions on Mexico’s national airspace or local carriers.
  • The warnings follow the Jan. 3 U.S. operation that captured Venezuela’s president and earlier FAA curbs in the Caribbean that led to hundreds of cancellations, with a recent JetBlueU.S. Air Force near-miss underscoring safety concerns.