Trump announces the total closure of Venezuelan airspace and military tensions escalate
Major international airlines had already suspended flights this week following an initial warning from the US
BarcelonaWashington's psychological warfare against Nicolás Maduro continues unabated, and a possible US military action against Venezuela seems increasingly likely. This Saturday, a new episode unfolded: US President Donald Trump warned in a message on his social media platform, Truth Social, that airlines and pilots worldwide should consider Venezuelan airspace "totally closed." "To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human smugglers: Please take note that the airspace over and around Venezuela will remain totally closed. Thank you for your attention! President Donald J. Trump," reads the president's message, which offers no clarification on any of the circumstances surrounding the incident. at a time of great tension between the two countries. The measure further isolates the Latin American country.
Venezuela's Foreign Ministry has described the Trump administration's action as "another extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people" and asserted that the United States is demonstrating "colonial ambitions" in Latin America. It also called on the international community to reject what it described as an immoral act of aggression.
Air traffic in Venezuela, however, has been virtually paralyzed for a week, after the U.S. Air Force issued an alert on Monday warning of the risk of flying over the country due to deteriorating security and increased military activity, marked by Washington's bombing of alleged military operations. Following the warning, airlines such as Iberia, Air Europa, Latam, Avianca, TAP, Plus Ultra, and Turkish Airlines immediately canceled their flights.
Venezuela's National Institute of Civil Aeronautics gave airlines 48 hours to resume operations, under threat of having their licenses revoked. When the companies ignored the order, the government of Nicolás Maduro suspended the air traffic rights of Iberia, TAP, Avianca, Latam Colombia, Turkish Airlines, and Gol.
On Saturday, only a handful of aircraft were still moving through Venezuelan skies, according to the flight tracker Flightradar. These were mostly small planes, light aircraft, and private jets, although some domestic flights were still being operated by commercial aircraft, according to the platform's data.
Call between leaders
As the newspaper reported The New York Times, Donald Trump held a Telephone conversation with the President of Venezuela, Nicolás MaduroThis was confirmed on Sunday. "I don't want to comment. The answer is yes," the US president told reporters aboard Air Force One. The conversation, according to the newspaper, was via telephone and took place a few days before the State Department declared the Cartel of the Suns a terrorist group and identified Maduro as its leader. In fact, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also present on the phone call with the Venezuelan leader. Despite the contact between the two countries, the escalation has continued. On November 21, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urged "exercising extreme caution" when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean due to what it considers "a potentially dangerous situation" in the area. And on Thursday, in a Thanksgiving call with military personnel, the US president warned that the armed forces would "begin very soon" to "stop Venezuelan drug traffickers" on the ground, after themilitary actions by seahave been a success, he emphasized. "You've probably noticed that they no longer want to deliver [the drugs] by sea, and we'll start stopping them on the ground. Besides, it's easier on the ground, but this will start very soon," Trump said.
The warning comes in the context of US bombings of boats in the Caribbean, which have caused several deaths and are being carried out under the pretext—unproven—of fighting drug trafficking, in which Venezuelan authorities, and especially Maduro, are also implicated.
Trump justifies the military actions with the argument that the alleged drug traffickers "are sending their poison to the United States, where it kills thousands of people every year." "In recent weeks you have been working to stop the drug traffickers from Venezuela, of which there are many, although not many are coming by sea anymore," he said, praising the attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, where U.S. forces have killed more than eighty. These attacks have been carried out without congressional authorization, drawing criticism from legal experts and Democrats, who accuse the government of intentionally targeting civilians who may be suspected of crimes, but who are not combatants. According to Trump, the attacks have stopped "85% of the flow of drugs by sea." No data or causal correlation has yet been presented to support these claims.