Air travel across parts of the Caribbean was thrown into disarray after the United States launched military operations in Venezuela, prompting widespread flight cancellations and airspace closures at the height of the winter holiday travel season.
Tourism authorities and airlines in several major destinations, including Puerto Rico, Aruba, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago, reported cancellations and delays on Saturday as regional aviation authorities reacted to heightened security risks linked to the unfolding crisis.
Puerto Rico was among the hardest hit. The island’s Tourism Company said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration closed Puerto Rican airspace at around 2 a.m. on Saturday, leading to the cancellation of at least 307 flights. Officials warned that the number of cancellations could rise as the situation develops.
The FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it remained unclear how long the airspace restrictions would stay in place.
In Aruba, located just miles off Venezuela’s coast, the sudden shutdown left travelers scrambling. Amy McDonough, a 56 year old traveler who had planned to fly to New Jersey, said she was informed early Saturday morning that all flights had been canceled.
By the time she rushed to extend her hotel stay, she found herself in a line of about 15 people, most of them Americans facing the same problem.
“It may sound nice not being able to leave Aruba,” McDonough said, “but when there’s a war just a 30 minute flight away, it doesn’t feel comfortable at all.”
Similar scenes played out across the region as airlines delayed or rerouted aircraft amid uncertainty over airspace safety.
The disruption comes during one of the busiest periods of the year for Caribbean travel. Christmas and New Year holidays typically draw large numbers of visitors from the United States and Europe seeking warm weather and beach destinations, making flight interruptions particularly disruptive for both travelers and local tourism-dependent economies.
The cancellations followed a dramatic escalation early Saturday, when U.S. forces carried out a raid in Venezuela and arrested President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, transferring them out of the country. The operation followed months of increased U.S. military activity in the southern Caribbean, officially described as efforts to disrupt drug trafficking routes.
Airlines and tourism officials said it was too early to determine when normal flight schedules would resume. With military activity ongoing and airspace restrictions still in effect, travelers were urged to check with airlines and local authorities before heading to airports.
As the political and military fallout from Venezuela continues to ripple outward, the Caribbean’s skies have become an early casualty of a crisis whose full regional impact is only beginning to emerge.
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