
The Federal Aviation Administration cautioned pilots of U.S. airlines against flying over areas near Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America, citing potential “military activities” and satellite navigation interference.
The warning was issued on Friday via a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) distributed by the FAA, stating, “Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight.”
“The FAA issued flight advisory Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) for Central American, Panama, Bogata, Guayaquil, and Mazatlán Oceanic Flight Regions, and in airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean,” the agency also said.
It’s not clear what led to the advisories, which instruct aircraft operators to “exercise caution.” Digital has contacted the FAA for comment.
The notices follow months of operations against suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific.
In November, the FAA had warned all pilots to be cautious when flying in the airspace over Venezuela “due to the deteriorating security situation and increased military activity.”
In December, a plane from the nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration carried out a [unclear action] against [unclear person] and his wife, Cilia Flores.
President [unclear] also recently told [unclear] that the U.S. will expand operations against drug cartels.
“We’ve stopped 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we’re going to start hitting land now,” Trump told [unclear] host Sean Hannity in early January. “The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to see what’s happened to that country.”
The latest FAA notices will be in effect for 60 days.
Digital’s Nora Moriarty and
It should be noted that there are some parts in the original content that seem incomplete or unclear (such as “months of against suspected drug-trafficking boats”, “Earlier this month, the Trump administration carried out a and his wife, Cilia Flores.”, etc.), and the rephrased version tries to make sense of it as best as possible while maintaining the original structure.