US cautions airlines of dangerous flying over Venezuela amid rising security and military activities.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela would be closed entirely.
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Last week, the US aviation regulator warned major airlines that flying over Venezuela might be a “potentially hazardous situation” owing to a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around” the country.
Venezuela withdrew the operating licenses of six major foreign airlines that had suspended flights to the country following a warning from the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Reports of impending action have spread in recent weeks, as the US military sent troops to the Caribbean amid deteriorating relations with Venezuela. According to two US sources, covert operations will most likely be the initial step in the new move against Maduro.
Two US officials said the options under discussion included seeking to depose Maduro, who has been in office since 2013. He has said that Trump intends to depose him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will oppose any such attempt.
A military buildup in the Caribbean has been ongoing for months, and President Trump has ordered clandestine CIA operations in Venezuela. The US Federal Aviation Administration cautioned major airlines on Friday about a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela. Three multinational airlines cancelled flights from Venezuela on Saturday following the FAA notice.