Air travel across parts of the Caribbean and the United States has been disrupted following reports of a US military operation in Venezuela, which prompted temporary airspace closures on Saturday.
International media reports said the operation on 3 January allegedly led to the detention of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, although the claims have not been independently confirmed.
The closure of the airspace has caused widespread cancellation of flights in the Caribbean Region. The escalation in the situation on January 3, 2026 has led to hundreds of holiday travellers being stranded.
The military action resulted in the imposition of temporary airspace restrictions in large parts of the Caribbean Region. This was done in light of the region’s proximity to military activity.
After the imposition of the airspace restriction, the United States of America issued advisories to keep the US-Based airlines away from the Venezuela Airspace.
Later, the alert was extended to Non US airlines leading to large scale cancellations of commercial flights throughout Saturday, January 3, and in the early hours of Sunday, January 4.
