U.S. issues alert for military air activity over Mexico and Central America

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States confirmed this Friday that it is issuing a series of warnings to airlines and crews to exercise heightened caution when flying over Mexico, Central America, and other nearby areas, citing risks associated with possible “military activity” and GPS interference, in a context of renewed regional tension following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela.

According to the information released, the FAA issued “Notices to Airmen” (NOTAMs) that cover Mexico and other Central American countries, as well as Ecuador, Colombia, and parts of the eastern Pacific airspace.

The notice mentions the existence of "potential risks to aircraft at all altitudes."

The warnings began this Friday and will remain in effect for 60 days, until mid-March.

The decision is set against the backdrop of increasing frictions between Washington and regional leaders following the Trump administration's concentration of forces in the southern Caribbean, its attacks on Venezuela, and the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a military operation.

In that context, Trump went on to raise the possibility of additional actions in the region—including Colombia—though he later toned it down.

Last week, Trump stated that the cartels controlled Mexico and suggested that the United States could target ground objectives to combat them, as part of a series of threats to use military force against criminal structures.

Following the attack on Venezuela, the FAA had already implemented flight restrictions across the Caribbean, which forced—according to the document—the cancellation of hundreds of flights from major airlines.

The FAA administrator, Bryan Bedford, told EFE earlier this week that there was good coordination between the agency and the U.S. Army before the operation in Venezuela, and the new advisory represents an expansion of the precautionary perimeter towards usual routes connecting the United States, Mexico, and Canada with South America.

In parallel, airlines had resumed operations to Venezuela following Maduro's capture.

Copa Airlines announced the resumption of its international flights to Caracas starting Tuesday, January 13, 2026, and the addition of a second flight from Friday, January 16, with daily service beginning February 20, according to a statement cited in the text.

American Airlines resumed flights "a day after" Maduro's capture and stated that it has restarted scheduled service following the reopening of the Eastern Caribbean airspace, adding extra capacity to accommodate customers affected by the previous restrictions.