Airlines canceled flights in and out of Venezuela in response to a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration advisory telling operators to “exercise caution” amid an escalating standoff between the U.S. and Nicolas Maduro’s regime.

Carriers including Colombia’s Avianca, Tap — Transportes Aereos Portugueses, Lan Airlines, Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA and Caribbean Airlines Ltd suspended routes to and from Venezuela on Saturday, the head of Venezuela’s airlines association said in a text message. Spain’s Iberia Lineas Aereas de España will pause flights starting Monday, while others remain operating, according to the airline association.

The FAA issued an advisory Saturday telling operators to take caution at all altitudes because of the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity around Venezuela.” The agency also said in a separate statement that interference with navigation systems in the country’s airspace and Venezuelan military exercises have increased.

The agency’s warning comes amid growing concerns about potential U.S. military strikes against targets on Venezuelan soil. The U.S. has carried out lethal attacks on alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean Sea and deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — to the region.

“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,” the FAA said.

Latam Airlines said it will suspend is its Bogota-Caracas-Bogota flights on Sunday and Monday and continue monitoring the situation daily. Representatives for Iberia and Caribbean Airlines didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. A Tap spokesperson couldn’t be reached for comment.

An Avianca spokesperson said that while Saturday’s flights were canceled, the company couldn’t comment on future flight cancellations.

Brazil’s Gol said flights from Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport to Caracas would also be canceled on Sunday, according to a company statement sent by text message.

On Friday, a sanctioned Russian oil tanker made a U-turn on the way to Venezuela after a U.S. warship intersected its route near the country’s coast.

Colombia’s aviation authority also said in a separate statement it would require commercial air operators to submit information on current routes to ensure compliance with the FAA’s guidelines as well as give advance notice of any flight changes.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)