The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM A0012/25) on Friday advising pilots and operators to exercise extreme caution in the Maiquetía Flight Information Region (SVZM), which covers all Venezuelan airspace and parts of the southern Caribbean, including areas near Colombia, Guyana, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The notice cites a worsening security situation and heightened military activity in and around Venezuela, warning that these conditions could threaten aircraft at all altitudes, including during arrivals, departures, overflights, and while on the ground. Pilots are urged to avoid the area due to increased risks posed by potential military actions.
A parallel NOTAM was issued on Tuesday for the San Juan Flight Information Region (TJZS) near Puerto Rico, which is the staging ground for the U.S. naval and air forces currently deployed to the region.
The notice is active until February, a move viewed by analysts as unusual unless Washington is preparing for the possibility of imminent military action against Venezuela. Some believe the NOTAM is intended as an additional pressure tactic aimed at forcing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
As of late Friday, commercial air traffic in and out of Venezuela has not ceased, though speculation has grown about the possibility of the United States declaring a no-fly zone should flights continue. Such a step would imply that U.S. forces could engage aircraft attempting to enter Venezuelan airspace.
Reports also emerged that the U.S. has attempted to resume a naval blockade of Venezuela. U.S. media claimed Friday that a Russian oil tanker, the Seahorse, was blocked by the U.S. Navy from entering Venezuelan territorial waters last week and was instead diverted to Cuba, a move seen as part of a broader U.S. effort to impose an economic stranglehold on the country as part of President Trump's "Maximum Pressure" campaign.