FAA Issues 60-Day Flight Advisories Over Eastern Pacific, Citing Military Activity and Navigation Risks
FAA issued 60-day NOTAMs advising U.S. pilots to exercise caution over the eastern Pacific near Central and South America amid military activity and navigation interference.
Overview
The FAA issued 60-day NOTAMs on Jan. 16 effective through March 17, advising U.S. pilots to exercise caution when flying over specified eastern Pacific and Central and South American regions.
Notices cover Mexico Flight Information Region, Mazatlán Oceanic FIR, Central America and Panama FIRs, and the Bogotá and Guayaquil FIRs off Colombia and Ecuador's coasts.
FAA cited potential military activities and possible satellite navigation interference; notices follow months of U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
Advisories warn of risks at all altitudes, including during overflight, arrival and departure phases; they notably do not include airspace immediately over Venezuela.
The alerts come amid broader U.S. operations, a recent Caracas strike and incidents such as a JetBlue climb halted to avoid a U.S. Air Force tanker, prompting airline safety concerns.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story by foregrounding FAA warnings and U.S. military action, using charged phrases like 'military activities' and 'large-scale strike.' They prioritize U.S. official figures (e.g., '35 known strikes...115 people') and sequence FAA quotes with an un-attributed claim about Maduro being 'seized,' while omitting regional government voices.
Sources (4)
FAQ
The NOTAMs cover the Mexico Flight Information Region, Mazatlán Oceanic FIR, Central America and Panama FIRs, Bogotá and Guayaquil FIRs off Colombia and Ecuador's coasts, and specified areas in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The advisories cite potential military activities and satellite navigation (GNSS) interference, with risks to aircraft at all altitudes including overflight, arrival, and departure phases.
The NOTAMs were issued on January 16, 2026, and are effective through March 17, 2026, for 60 days.
They follow months of U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, a January 3, 2026, strike in Caracas capturing Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and a near-collision involving a JetBlue flight and U.S. Air Force tanker.
No, the new NOTAMs do not include airspace immediately over or surrounding Venezuela, unlike a prior November warning for that area.
History
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