President Donald Trump has declared the airspace over Venezuela and its surrounding region completely closed, addressing airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and human smugglers in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The announcement urged all operators to treat Venezuelan airspace as inaccessible in its entirety.
The declaration follows reports from the Spanish and Portuguese governments, which advised their national carriers earlier in the day to avoid Venezuelan airspace in the coming days, according to the TASS news agency.
The statement comes one day after Trump indicated that the United States is preparing new measures against narcotics-trafficking networks operating in Venezuela, hinting that ground operations could begin “very soon.”
CNN reported that Trump’s posture reflects a decision made after high-level intelligence briefings and a show of US military force in the region.
Since September, Trump has authorized strikes against vessels Washington identifies as drug-smuggling boats in Venezuelan waters in the Caribbean.
The operations have destroyed dozens of craft and resulted in more than 80 deaths. Trump has asserted that “Nicolás Maduro’s days as Venezuela’s leader are numbered,” while insisting that Washington does not intend to launch a war against Caracas.
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