Trump Declares Venezuelan Airspace Closed Amid Rising Tensions

Fri Dec 05 2025 04:51:54 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a significant escalation, President Trump has declared the airspace around Venezuela closed, affecting travel and highlighting escalating military tensions in the region amid U.S. anti-drug trafficking operations.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the airspace around Venezuela should be considered closed, a move he communicated via social media to deter airlines and traffickers. While the U.S. has no legal authority to close another country's airspace, the proclamation creates uncertainty for airlines operating in the region. This statement follows increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, primarily aimed at combatting drug trafficking. The Venezuelan government has not responded yet to Trump's remarks, and recent developments include Venezuela banning several international airlines from landing due to non-compliance with flight resumption demands.

U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that the airspace around Venezuela should be considered closed. To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY, Trump stated in a recent social media post.

Although the U.S. does not have the legal authority to close another country's airspace, Trump's comments could induce travel uncertainty and discourage airlines from operating in or over Venezuela.

The U.S.'s military presence has been increasing in the Caribbean, a portion of which has been characterized as efforts to combat drug smuggling. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has labeled U.S. allegations of drug trafficking as attempts to undermine his leadership.

Venezuela has yet to comment directly on Trump’s statements. Meanwhile, the White House has not provided immediate feedback to media inquiries regarding the revisions in air traffic policy. Trump's statements emerge on the heels of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warning airlines of heightened military activity in and around Venezuela. Recently, Venezuela barred six major international airlines — Iberia, TAP Portugal, Gol, Latam, Avianca, and Turkish Airlines — from landing due to their failure to meet a 48-hour deadline aimed at resuming flights.

Furthermore, the U.S. has reportedly deployed the USS Gerald Ford, its largest aircraft carrier, alongside around 15,000 troops closer to Venezuela under the premise of fighting drug trafficking operations. This deployment represents the largest U.S. military buildup in the area since the 1989 Panama invasion. Recently, Trump has warned that U.S. measures to curb Venezuelan drug trafficking by land would commence very soon. U.S. forces have conducted at least 21 strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking, with over 80 fatalities, but have yet to substantiate evidence confirming these boats carried illicit drugs.

The Venezuelan government has posited that the U.S.'s motivations lie in an effort to oust Maduro, especially in the wake of controversial elections denounced by both opposition and international observers as fraudulent. In addition, the U.S. has designated the 'Cartel de los Soles' — which it claims is led by Maduro — as a foreign terrorist organization, thereby granting U.S. law enforcement expanded capabilities to combat it. Venezuela's official stance vehemently rejects this designation, and several leaders, including Diosdado Cabello, alleged to head the cartel, have dismissed it as a fabricated notion.