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A JetBlue flight that took off from Curacao nearly collided on Friday with a U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft just off the coast of Venezuela.
The JetBlue pilot, who had to stop their ascent, blamed the military aircraft for the incident, according to AP.
"We almost had a collision in the air up here. They passed directly in our flight path... They don't have their transponder on, it's crazy," said the pilot, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control accessed by the news agency.
It was JetBlue flight 1112 from Curacao to JFK Airport in New York.
"We just saw air traffic directly in front of us, less than five miles away—perhaps two or three miles—but it was a refueling aircraft from the United States Air Force, and it was at our altitude," is heard in the mentioned recording.
In response to an inquiry by AP, Colonel Manny Ortiz, spokesperson for the United States Southern Command, confirmed that they were reviewing the matter.
"Military aircrews are highly trained professionals who operate according to established procedures and applicable airspace requirements. Safety remains a priority, and we are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts related to the situation," he commented.
This Sunday, Derek Dombrowski, a spokesperson for JetBlue, stated that the incident was reported.
“Our crew is trained in the proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate that our team promptly reported this situation to our leadership team,” he commented
In the aforementioned recording, the controller is heard responding to the pilot: "It's been crazy with unidentified aircraft in our airspace."
The U.S. intensifies air patrols near Venezuela
On Friday, combat aircraft and intelligence platforms from the United States conducted aerial patrols near the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, raising military tensions in the Caribbean amid the escalating confrontation between Washington and the government of Nicolás Maduro.
According to aerial tracking data, two F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jets, one identified by tail number 166904, flew in international airspace north of Curacao, in what the Pentagon described as part of an "enhanced security operation" against drug trafficking networks.
The missions are part of Operation Southern Lance, ordered by President Donald Trump as an extension of the naval campaign launched in September against drug cartels and trafficking routes in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
Washington maintains that the aim of the offensive is to neutralize transnational threats and dismantle the so-called Cartel of the Suns, a drug trafficking organization that, according to the United States, is led by Maduro and high-ranking Venezuelan military officials.
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