Josh Milton
Published November 29, 2025 2:32pm
Updated November 29, 2025 3:30pm
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Donald Trump is increasingly clashing with the South American nation (Picture: REUTERS)
US President Donald Trump has declared that Venezuela airspace is to be closed in its entirety.
Trump, in a post social media platform, Truth Social, said this afternoon: ‘To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.’
He did not elaborate further on this. The White House does not have the authority to shut another country’s airspace.
Flights to the South American country are still listed by airlines and on booking platforms.
Venezuelan officials believe Trump’s attacks are ‘lies’ to justify military intervention (Picture: AFP)
Tensions are high between the US and Venezuela as the American military continues its anti-drug offensive, raising fears of war.
In the last two months, this has included strikes against vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing more than 80 people.
The White House, without presenting evidence, has claimed these boats were bombed for transporting suspected drugs.
Targets have included members of Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang with roots in a Venezuelan prison, US officials say.
But legal experts and family members of the dead question this, saying that most of those killed were fishermen.
While the Trump administration has described the strikes as a counter-drug mission, experts say it’s part of the president’s wider campaign to oust the president of Venezuela.
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Previous Page Next PageTrump has accused Nicolás Maduro of drug trafficking and said earlier this month that his days are ‘numbered’.
Maduro said yesterday, however, that the White House is using ‘excuses and lies’ to justify military intervention on land.
Today’s airspace closure is the latest effort from the administration to target Venezuela’s travel.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently advised pilots to ‘exercise caution’ near Venezuela’s airspace due to ‘worsening security situation and heightened military activity’.
Venezuela responded by banning flights operated by six major international airlines:
- Spain’s Iberia
- Portugal’s TAP
- Colombia’s Avianca
- Chile and Brazil’s LATAM
- Brazil’s GOL
- Turkish Airlines
The US Department of State issued a ‘Do Not Travel’ warning to Americans seeking to jet to Venezuela in May, which is still in force.
The warning states: ‘Do not travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.’
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