In an interesting move that may be a signal of events yet to come, President Donald Trump, on Saturday, informed airlines that they should consider Venezuelan airspace closed.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 29, 2025
The president’s post reads:
To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
A Fox Business report has more details:
Trump’s comments come about a week after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines about flying over Venezuela. The FAA issued a notice urging airlines to “exercise caution” due to the “potentially hazardous situation” in the region.
“Operators are advised to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetia flight information region at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela,” the FAA advisory had said.
“Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground,” it added, requesting airlines to provide at least 72-hour advance notice to the FAA if they plan to fly through the area.
Some international airlines then canceled their flights to Venezuela following the FAA’s warning.
To say that this is an interesting move is something of an understatement.
Read More: Updated: FAA Warns Venezuelan Airspace Risky Amid Military Buildup; Some Int’l Airlines Cancel Flights
Final Minutes? Maduro Labeled a Terrorist, Nobel Prize Winner Appeals to Venezuelan Army, and Trump Talks
A warning like this could be a harbinger of upcoming air action over Venezuelan airspace. It’s not hard to imagine what the action may look like. The Venezuelan air force has only a few operational fighters with which to defend its airspace: 3 or 4 aging American F-16 A/Bs, and 15 to 18 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30MK2 multirole fighters. The F-16s were purchased in the ’80s, and most are grounded due to a lack of repair parts. The Sukhoi fighters were purchased from Russia in 2006.
Could the Trump administration be thinking of interdicting suspected drug-carrying aircraft, as they have been intercepting speedboats? Namely, by the expedient of sudden and forcible disassembly by a suitable application of high explosives? That would be a significant escalation. The drug boats are being intercepted in international waters. Any American air action in Venezuelan airspace is a different matter altogether.
Or does the administration have some intelligence that Maduro may be wanting to try something? That’s hard to credit. Venezuela just plain doesn’t have the resources to launch any significant air action; they can barely defend their own airspace. If the United States wanted to get serious, one flight of four F-22s could delete Venezuela’s fighter inventory in an afternoon.
There’s another interesting tidbit: Venezuela has apparently been interfering with the primary international air-traffic navigation system.
“Since September 2025, there has been an increase in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference in the Maiquetia Flight Information Region (SVZM FIR), as well as activity associated with increasing Venezuela military readiness,” the FAA also said.
“Some civil aircraft recently reported GNSS interference while transiting the SVZM FIR, which, in some cases, caused lingering effects throughout the flight. GNSS jammers and spoofers can affect aircraft out to 250 nautical miles and can impact a wide variety of critical communication, navigation, surveillance, and safety equipment on aircraft,” the FAA continued.
Interfering with navigation is a serious matter, and it may well be that the United States is looking to remove this capacity, again, very likely by a suitable application of high explosives.
The primary takeaway from all this seems to be that the clock is running out for Venezuela’s El Presidente Nicolás Maduro.
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