The series of dramatic US military strikes inside Venezuela have triggered a wave of cancellations and operational pivots for low-fare carriers.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has advised against operating in the Maiquetía Flight Information Region, “at all altitudes and flight levels”, pointing to the risk of civilian aircraft being caught in military crossfire or misidentified.
“Considering the US strikes and the overall high level of tensions, Venezuela is likely to maintain elevated alert levels for its air force and air defence units nationwide, particularly in light of the potential for further ad hoc military actions. Consequently, the risk of miscalculation and/or misidentification is assessed as high within FIR Maiquetia (SVZM),” said EASA in a Conflict Zone Advisory
As the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) lifts the most severe airspace restrictions today, the industry is shifting from a state of emergency to a complex recovery phase.
The latest NOTAM from the FAA establishes several high-risk “Exclusion Zones” across southwestern Venezuela and along the Colombian border banning all civil and general aviation traffic below 10,000 feet. It warns that active military operations and the potential for misidentification make these low-altitude corridors extremely dangerous for non-military aircraft up until March 2026.
Meanwhile global aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions has issued a Critical Alert, reclassifying Venezuela’s country and airspace risk rating to “Extreme”.
Osprey analysts say with “near certainty” that both the United States and Venezuela will significantly ramp up military deployments in the Caribbean. In the short term, Venezuela is expected to intensify military operations within its own borders, specifically targeting its coastal regions to bolster national defence.
Osprey says aircraft transiting the Caribbean Basin and northern South America face heightened risks of misidentification or being caught in crossfire as military activity surges.
“These developments present significant and escalating risks to civil aviation operations,” said Osprey in a statement.
Because many budget airlines rely on high-frequency routes to Caribbean leisure hubs, some of which sit directly in or next to the restricted region, the impact of the action was immediate.
Both Spirit and Frontier Airlines have faced significant disruption due to their heavy reliance on San Juan (SJU), Puerto Rico, as a regional hub.
Spirit has issued travel waivers for passengers with major impacts reported for flights to Aruba (AUA), St. Maarten (SXM), and the US Virgin Islands (STT/STX).
Frontier suspended operations across five key Caribbean cities, including Ponce and Aguadilla in Puerto Rico, as well as Aruba.
JetBlue cancelled over 200 flights in a single day following the strike, with primary leisure destinations like Punta Cana, Barbados, and San Juan seeing widespread groundings.
JetBlue says it is “doing everything possible to support those affected by the disruption”.
“We will continue working to rebook customers on available flights and, where possible, by adding extra flights,” the airline said in a statement on its website.
Already implementing a suspension of flights to Caracas until mid-January due to safety concerns, Copa Airlines has now added Maracaibo to its list of suspended destinations. They are offering passengers the option to reroute through Cúcuta, Colombia, to reach the Venezuelan border by land.
Image: Aviación Civil en Venezuela
Operations entering the Maiquetía Flight Information Region were impacted.
