(CARACAS) — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency NOTAM on January 3, 2026, barring all U.S. commercial and private aircraft from operating at any altitude in Venezuelan airspace after reported explosions near Caracas.
The FAA order covers the Maiquetia Flight Information Region, SVZM, citing safety risks tied to ongoing military activity following the reports.
Issued at 6:00 am UTC (1:00 am EST) on January 3, 2026, the NOTAM is set to expire at midnight EST on January 4, 2026, unless extended.
The notice’s text excerpt warned of a potentially hazardous situation in the Maiquetia FIR and stated U.S. operators were:
“PROHIBITED FROM OPERATING AT ALL ALTITUDES. DUE TO SAFETY-OF-FLIGHT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH ONGOING MILITARY ACTIVITY.”
Reports of explosions and strikes came hours before the FAA action, as Venezuelan officials and President Trump made competing public claims about what happened overnight and who was responsible.
At least seven explosions were reported around 2:00 a.m. VET on January 3, 2026, in and near Caracas, including La Guaira, Higuerote, Meseta de Mamo, Baruta, El Hatillo, Charallave and Carmen de Uria.
Those reports included strikes on military-linked sites such as El Libertador airbase in Maracay, the Venezuelan Air Force headquarters, Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, Fort Tiuna, La Guaira port and antennas in Cerro El Volcán.
The reported strikes lasted about 30 minutes, and smoke was reported from a Caracas hangar.
President Nicolás Maduro declared a national state of emergency, described as a “state of external disturbance,” activated defense plans and called the strikes “imperialist aggression” aimed at regime change.
Maduro also requested a United Nations Security Council investigation and said strikes hit sites in Caracas, Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
The FAA described the restriction as a safety measure for U.S. aircraft across the entire Maiquetia FIR, which the notice described as 1,204,815 square kilometer and covering Venezuela and its territorial waters.
The FAA’s scope also extends to airspace near Curacao, the notice said.
The move builds on a mid-November 2025 FAA advisory that urged avoidance of Venezuelan airspace because of GPS interference and military activity, though that earlier action was not a ban.
By the time of the January 3 emergency NOTAM, all U.S. carriers had already stopped using the airspace voluntarily, the FAA action said.
President Trump posted on Truth Social declaring Venezuelan airspace “CLOSED IN ITS ENTITIY” to airlines, pilots and others, according to the information accompanying the FAA action.
Wikipedia and media reports described U.S. airstrikes, while the U.S. government has not officially confirmed the strikes, including no official confirmation from the White House or Pentagon.
In a Truth Social post at 5:21 a.m. VET, Trump claimed Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by Delta Force and flown out, with a Mar-a-Lago press conference planned.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded “immediate proof of life,” and confirmed they were out of the country.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López accused U.S. combat helicopters of firing rockets and missiles in urban areas.
The FAA’s emergency action targets what it called safety-of-flight risks for U.S. operators at every altitude, in a region where military operations and air defense activity can raise hazards for civilian aviation.
The Maiquetia FIR includes routes used for overflights as well as operations to and from Venezuela, and a prohibition forces U.S. operators to route around the airspace.
Foreign airlines had already suspended Caracas flights since late 2025, with Spanish and Portuguese NOTAMs described as valid into 2026.
Maduro threatened license revocations in response to those suspensions, according to the information provided alongside the FAA action.
Airline disruptions were expected to include rerouting, longer flights and higher fuel costs as carriers avoid the affected airspace.
The aviation restrictions landed amid heightened U.S. travel warnings related to Venezuela.
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning for Venezuela.
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas ordered “shelter in place,” while the U.S. Embassy in Bogota was monitoring, with no evacuation support available, according to the information provided.
The risks cited included wrongful detention, unrest and power outages in southern Caracas.
Tour operations also reported immediate cancellations, including trips connected to Angel Falls, as local tourism faced what was described as a total collapse after prior 2025 reductions.
For aviation, the FAA’s emergency NOTAM formalizes a U.S. prohibition in the Maiquetia FIR at a moment when Venezuela’s leaders have declared a national emergency and U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the military reports driving the overnight escalation.
The U.S. FAA has prohibited all domestic commercial and private aircraft from entering Venezuelan airspace as of January 3, 2026. This emergency order responds to military strikes on Caracas-area bases and political volatility. Conflicting reports surround the status of Nicolás Maduro, with the U.S. government yet to officially confirm military involvement despite President Trump’s social media claims of a capture operation.
