FAA Warns Airlines of Heightened Risk Over Venezuela

Overview

• The FAA urged aircraft to exercise extreme caution in Venezuelan airspace, citing a potentially dangerous situation for flights at all altitudes.
• The agency said risks extend to overflights, takeoffs, landings, and aircraft and airports on the ground.
• The alert follows a notable U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean that includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, additional warships, and F-35 aircraft.
• Washington describes the deployment as countering international drug trafficking, and the Pentagon recently announced operations targeting so‑called narcoterrorists.
• Reporting indicates the U.S. may soon designate a cartel allegedly tied to Nicolás Maduro as a terrorist group, as separate reports describe authorized covert CIA activities and rising fears in Caracas of regime change.