FAA warns of flight risks in Central, South America and eastern Pacific over military activity

WASHINGTON, DC: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a sweeping warning to US airline pilots about operating in airspace over the eastern Pacific Ocean, Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America, citing potential “military activities” and interference with satellite navigation systems.

The advisory, released on Friday, January 16, appeared in a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and urged carriers to exercise heightened caution across the region.

The alerts arrived amid expanded US military activity in the hemisphere, including operations linked to illegal substances and recent actions involving Venezuela.

FAA warns of risks across all flight altitudes

The FAA made it clear that the concern was not limited to cruising levels.

“Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight,” the NOTAMs stated.

The warnings spanned “specified areas of Mexico, Central American, Panama, Bogotá, Guayaquil, and Mazatlán Oceanic Flight Regions.”

While the agency did not cite a single triggering incident, operators were instructed to “exercise caution” throughout these corridors due to the possibility of navigation disruption and nearby military activity.

Military operations follow Nicolás Maduro's capture 

The advisory followed a period of intensified US engagement in the region.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration carried out a military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The FAA action also came after months of US strikes targeting suspected vessels engaging in illicit operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

In November, the agency issued a similar alert urging pilots to use caution over Venezuelan airspace “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity.”

Near miss with Air Force tanker 

Civilian and military traffic had already converged in dangerous ways. In December 2025, a JetBlue aircraft departing Curaçao was forced to halt its climb to avoid a collision with a US Air Force refueling tanker.

The incident underscored the growing congestion and complexity of the region’s airspace as military operations expand.

The latest FAA notices were intended to reduce the risk of similar encounters as activity increases.

Trump vows to hit smuggling operations

President Donald Trump signaled that US operations in the region would broaden. Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this month, Trump said that the administration would expand its campaign against organized criminal gangs.

“We’ve knocked out 97% of the d***s coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land,” Trump said. “The c*****s are running Mexico.”

The FAA advisories are scheduled to remain in effect for 60 days.