 "US FAA issues 60-day caution over Mexico, Latin American airspace citing military and GPS risks")
US airlines have been advised to exercise caution when flying over Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America after the Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about potential military activities and GPS interference, with the advisory taking effect on Friday for a period of 60 days.
The FAA said it issued Notices to Airmen covering Mexico and Central American countries, as well as Ecuador, Colombia and portions of airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean. The agency confirmed that the warnings will remain in force for 60 days.
Rising regional tensions
The advisory comes amid escalating tensions between the US and regional leaders following a large-scale military buildup by the Trump administration in the southern Caribbean, an attack on Venezuela and the seizure of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, in a military operation. President Donald Trump has also raised the possibility of further military actions in the region, including against Colombia.
Trump said last week that drug cartels were running Mexico and suggested the US could strike land targets to combat them, marking one of several threats to deploy US military force against cartels.
Mexico responds to FAA advisory
Mexico responded to the FAA’s notice by stating that it is a precautionary measure and does not restrict Mexican airspace or airlines. The advisory applies solely to US operators, and aviation operations in Mexico remain unaffected, the ministry said in a statement.
Following the attack on Venezuela, the FAA curtailed flights across the Caribbean, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights by major airlines. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters this week that there had been good coordination between the agency and the US military ahead of the Venezuela operation.
Recent near-miss incident
Last month, a JetBlue passenger jet bound for New York took evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela.
JetBlue Flight 1112 had departed from the Caribbean nation of Curacao and was flying about 40 miles (60 km) off the coast of Venezuela when the Airbus aircraft reported encountering the Air Force jet, which did not have its transponder activated.