The Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines about flying over Venezuela in a notice urging them to “exercise caution” due to the “potentially hazardous situation” in the region.
The notice comes as President Trump has authorized a massive military buildup and suggested that Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro will be removed from office.
Most notably, a U.S. naval strike group spearheaded by the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the largest warship in the world, arrived in the region last week.
“Operators are advised to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetia flight information region at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela,” the FAA advisory said.
“Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground,” the agency added. Airlines have been further instructed to provide at least 72-hour advance notice to the FAA if they plan on flying over the nation, Fox News reported.
Direct flights from U.S. passenger and cargo carriers have been discontinued since 2019, though some airlines still fly over Venezuela as part of their active routes in South America. American Airlines told Reuters that it stopped flying over the nation in late October, while Delta Air Lines said it stopped “a while ago.”
“Since September 2025, there has been an increase in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference in the Maiquetia Flight Information Region (SVZM FIR), as well as activity associated with increasing Venezuela military readiness,” the FAA said.
“Some civil aircraft recently reported GNSS interference while transiting the SVZM FIR, which, in some cases, caused lingering effects throughout the flight. GNSS jammers and spoofers can affect aircraft out to 250 nautical miles and can impact a wide variety of critical communication, navigation, surveillance, and safety equipment on aircraft,” the agency continued.
The USS Gerald Ford
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni
The USS Gerald Ford, carrying more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft, entered the Southcom area of responsibility after being directed by the War Department to depart from the Mediterranean in late October. Officials have stated that the vessel is in the region in order to provide support for ongoing U.S. military strikes on drug-trafficking vessels linked to the Venezuelan government’s smuggling operations and other groups designated as terrorist organizations in the Caribbean and Pacific coast areas.
“The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement last Tuesday.
“These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations,” Parnell added.
The Ford, whose escorts in the area include the USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan and USS Winston Churchill, will be on-hand to assist operations in the region after the Pentagon already deployed eight warships, F-35 fighter jets and at least one nuclear-powered submarine in the Caribbean, according to the Pentagon.
While the buildup and strikes on terrorist groups linked to the Venezuelan government have escalated over the past several weeks, President Trump has left the door open to diplomacy.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said the U.S. “may be having some discussions with Maduro” and that “they would like to talk.” He did not offer additional details. When asked whether the terror label could allow the U.S. to target Maduro’s personal assets, Trump said, “It allows us to do that, but we haven’t said we’re going to do that.”
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