Several airlines suspended their flights to Venezuela after the US aviation regulator warned on Friday of “heightened military activity” in the area. The warning came as the US ramped up pressure on the Venezuelan government, sending the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the southern Caribbean as part of a larger military build-up.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has warned Venezuela’s aviation authority that rescinding airlines’ clearance would only isolate the country further.

Venezuela’s aviation authority (Inac), which reports to the country’s ministry of transport, issued the ultimatum on Monday.

Among the airlines affected are Spain’s Iberia, Air Europa and Plus Ultra, Brazil’s Gol, Chile’s Latam, Colombia’s Avianca, Portugal’s TAP and Turkish Airlines.

All of them – except Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Airlines, which had already stopped flights in September – halted their flights to Venezuela after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a “Notice to Air Missions” on Friday.

In it, the FAA advised flight operators “to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetía flight information region at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in and around Venezuela”.

Maiquetía is the location of Venezuela’s main international airport, serving the capital, Caracas.

While a number of airlines, including Panama’s Copa and Venezuela’s state-owned Conviasa, have continued to fly in and out of Maiquetía, the suspensions have severely curtailed the number of international flights.

Aviation industry body Iata urged Inac to drop the deadline, to avoid further reducing “connectivity to the country, which is already one of the least connected in the region”.

Iata stressed in a statement that its member airlines had suspended their flights temporarily and remained “committed to restoring operations to and from Venezuela as soon as conditions allow”.

Tension between the US and Venezuela has been growing since the former escalated its military presence in the southern Caribbean, in an operation it says is designed to combat drug trafficking.

The US Navy has carried out at least 21 strikes against boats allegedly carrying drugs – mostly in the Caribbean but also a few in the Pacific – since the beginning of September.

The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, has denounced the strikes and the military build-up, accusing the US of trying to overthrow him.

On Monday, he struck a defiant note telling viewers of his TV show that “they [the US] will not be able to defeat Venezuela, we are invincible”.

The US government has labelled Maduro as an illegitimate leader, pointing to his 2024 re-election, which was widely dismissed as rigged.

However, US President Donald Trump has not ruled out speaking directly to Maduro, telling reporters last week that “at a certain period of time, I’ll be talking to him”.

Nov. 25 (UPI) — Tensions between the United States and Venezuela has prompted many airlines to cancel international flights to the South American nation, which has stranded some travelers.

Several international airlines have canceled flights to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas after the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday cautioned them against flying over Venezuela as the United States increases its military presence and activities to thwart what it says is drug smuggling from Venezuela and other South American nations, Fox News reported.

The FAA cited a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in and around Venezuela” when issuing its cautionary notice, according to euro news.

The disruption of international air service has left some global travelers stranded in Caracas and prompted the Venezuelan government to demand the airlines resume their services, the BBC reported.

The airlines include Spain-based Air Europa, Iberia and Plus Ultra. They also include Brazil-based Gol, Chile’s Latam air carrier, Avianca of Colombia, Portugal’s TAP airline and Turkish Airlines.

The airlines include Spain-based Air Europa, Iberia and Plus Ultra. They also include Brazil-based Gol, Chile’s Latam air carrier, Avianca of Colombia, Portugal’s TAP airline and Turkish Airlines.

The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean and a caution from the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday has caused several airlines to suspend service to Venezuela. Photo by MCSN Paige Brown/U.S. Navy

The Venezuelan government on Monday gave the airlines a 48-hour deadline to resume their flights or lose their clearance to fly over Venezuelan airspace.

The demand drew a rebuke from the International Air Transport Association, which said Venezuela would become more isolated if its aviation regulators followed through with their threat.

The Trump administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization the Cartel d los Soles and deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the area.

The cartel is a collection of Venezuelan military and governmental officials who are accused of being involved in drug trafficking.

“Cartel de los Soels by and with other designated FTOs, including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week.

The United States also raised to $50 million its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The Venezuelan government has denied the existence of the Cartel de los Soles.

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