U.S. Military Action in Venezuela Triggers Caribbean Airspace Closures and Flight Disruptions

INSIGHTi

U.S. Military Action in Venezuela Triggers

Caribbean Airspace Closures and Flight

Disruptions

January 6, 2026

On January 3, 2026, U.S. military and law enforcement agencies executed a joint operation, which

involved the capture and extraction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. In response, the

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to prohibit all

civil flight operations of U.S. aircraft in Venezuelan airspace, which includes all airspace over the land

borders of Venezuela and airspace over a portion of the southern Caribbean Sea. Air service between the

United States and Venezuela has been suspended since May 2019. On January 3, 2026, the FAA also took

action to close the airspace it directly controls in the Eastern Caribbean, known as the San Juan flight

information region (FIR), which overlies Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and surrounding waters, as

well as other Caribbean FIRs that are controlled by various other air navigation service providers and not

directly by the FAA. Although the closure of Venezuelan airspace had little effect on U.S. air carriers, the

temporary closure of the San Juan FIR and the closure of other FIRs in the Caribbean to U.S. operators

disrupted numerous airline flights. Because the prohibitions in the San Juan FIR affected U.S.-controlled

airspace, they applied to both U.S. and foreign air carriers and aircraft operators. On January 4, 2026, the

FAA lifted these prohibitions and replaced them with advisories warning of a potentially hazardous

situation persisting in the region, similar to prior warnings that had been issued in November 2025.

Prior to the day-long flight prohibitions that were issued on January 3, 2026, it had been reported that

increased U.S. military flight operations in and near Venezuelan airspace had resulted in near misses

between military aircraft and civilian aircraft, including airliners and private aircraft operating between

the United States and the Dutch Caribbean islands of Curaçao and Aruba, which are close to Venezuela.

The FAA issued alerts of potential hazards due to the increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean

prior to the reported times of these near misses.

It is common for the FAA to issue alerts and flight restrictions surrounding military operations and in

conflict areas around the world. In the Caribbean region, the FAA has maintained prohibitions barring

most U.S. civil aircraft from operating in Haitian airspace due to ongoing instability in that country.

Similarly, international security restrictions exist for numerous flight regions throughout the world,

including Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, and in the Persian Gulf and the

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

IN12636

CRS INSIGHT

Prepared for Members and

Committees of Congress

Congressional Research Service

2

Gulf of Oman. While these notices and restrictions issued about regions not directly controlled by the

FAA apply to U.S. pilots and aircraft only, the information is available to other countries and to

international operators who may voluntarily follow the FAA guidance outside of FAA-controlled airspace.

The performance of the NOTAM system used to notify aircraft operators of these warnings and

restrictions has been under congressional scrutiny for several years, though there were not any reported

issues regarding the dissemination of the flight prohibitions issued on January 3, 2026. In January 2023, a

brief systemwide failure of the NOTAM system resulted in an hours-long ground stop and widespread

flight disruptions across the entire United States. Stemming in part from this incident, the NOTAM

Improvement Act of 2023 (P.L. 118-4) was enacted, which directed the FAA to modernize the NOTAM

system based on input from a task force charged with identifying system improvements and to implement

a backup system. Despite a mandate to complete these actions by the end of FY2024, NOTAM

modernization is ongoing, and the FAA requested roughly $81 million in FY2026 to continue this work,

noting that “the current NOTAM environment is fragmented and outdated.”

Tensions between the United States and Venezuela and insecurity in Venezuela have affected air travel

between the two countries for several years. All direct commercial passenger and cargo flights between

the United States and Venezuela have been suspended since 2019, when the U.S. Department of

Homeland Security determined that “conditions in Venezuela threaten the safety and security of

passengers, aircraft, and crew, and that the public interest requires an immediate suspension of all

commercial passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela.” Accordingly, the

Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an order suspending air transportation for passengers or

cargo to or from any airport in Venezuela, effective May 15, 2019.

As a result of the airspace closure on January 3, 2026, airlines reportedly cancelled hundreds of flights

across the Caribbean—flights were cancelled to and from Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands,

Aruba, Curaçao, and more than a dozen other destinations. This travel disruption also coincided with the

busy New Year holiday travel period. It was reported that on Saturday, January 3, 2026, about 60% of all

flights destined for a few popular Caribbean airports—in Aruba, San Juan, and St. Thomas—were

canceled. After temporary airspace restrictions expired at midnight early on Sunday, January 4, 2026, U.S.

airlines moved to resume scheduled service and add capacity by adding flights and operating larger

aircraft to accommodate passengers whose flights had been cancelled, although it may take several days

to rebook and clear stranded passengers.

Generally, airlines are not required by DOT aviation consumer protection rules to compensate passengers

for cancellations that are beyond the airlines’ control. Airlines also are not required to offer meal vouchers

or pay for lodging under those circumstances. It was reported, however, that many airlines would waive

flight change fees when rebooking travelers who had been scheduled to fly in or out of the affected region

over the weekend of the U.S. operation in Venezuela.

Author Information

Bart Elias

Specialist in Aviation Policy

Rachel Y. Tang

Analyst in Transportation and Industry

Congressional Research Service

3

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff

to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of

Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of

information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.

CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United

States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,

as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the

permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

IN12636 · VERSION 1 · NEW