The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a cautionary notice to airlines, advising them to take heed when flying over Venezuelan airspace. This warning highlights the “potentially hazardous situation” currently unfolding in the area.

This advisory comes as the United States has bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean, operating under the direction of the U.S. Southern Command. The American military has deployed bombers, warships, and Marines in a concerted effort to crack down on drug trafficking and so-called “narco-terrorist” groups operating in the vicinity of Venezuela.

The FAA’s advisory specifically urges caution for operators navigating through the Maiquetia flight information region. It cites the deteriorating security conditions and increased military activities around Venezuela as reasons for concern.

“Potential threats could endanger aircraft at any altitude, whether during overflight, takeoff, landing, or while parked at airports,” the advisory stated. The FAA has requested that airlines intending to fly through the region provide a minimum of 72-hour advance notice.

Meanwhile, in Venezuela, members of the Bolivarian National Guard have heightened their security patrols around Lake Maracaibo. This is amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States, as seen in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on October 26, 2025. (Photo by Isaac Urrutia/Reuters)

Direct flights from U.S. passenger and cargo carriers to Venezuela have been suspended since 2019, but some airlines still fly over the country on their South American routes, according to Reuters. 

It added that American Airlines said Friday it stopped flying over Venezuela in October, while Delta Air Lines said it stopped “a while ago.” 

A coast guard boat of the Venezuelan Navy operates off the Caribbean coast on Sept. 11, 2025.  (Juan Carlos Hernandez/Reuters)

“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 also 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 FAA continued.

The USS Gravely, a U.S. Navy warship, departs Port of Spain on Oct. 30, 2025. The warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.  (Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images)

“Additionally, since early September, Venezuela has conducted multiple military exercises and directed the mass mobilization of thousands of military and reserve forces. While Venezuela has at no point expressed an intent to target civil aviation, the Venezuelan military possesses advanced fighter aircraft and multiple weapons systems capable of reaching or exceeding civil aircraft operating altitudes, as well as potential low-altitude risk from man-portable air defense systems and anti-aircraft artillery,” it also warned.