The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday warned airlines to “exercise caution” while travelling over various parts of the eastern Pacific region.
According to the US government’s aviation body, flying over Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America (like Ecuador and Colombia) was risky due to “potential military activities” and satellite navigation (GPS) interference.
These instructions were issued by the FAA in a set of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), and will be in effect for 60 days, starting from Friday onwards.
“Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight,” one of the notices read, as per an Associated Press report.
Mexico, however, has responded to the FAA advisory, stating that the notices applied “solely to US operators, and aviation operations in Mexico remain unaffected”.
This has sparked questions of possible US military action in the region, as it comes after a January 3 attack on Venezuela, which ended with the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
Notably, the Donald Trump administration—fresh off the success of the Venezuela operation—had said last week that drug cartels were running Mexico and hinted at a possible US strike on land targets to combat them.
Following the air attacks on various parts of the country, including the capital, Caracas, US forces captured both Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and then brought them back to America, where he was later indicted for various crimes.
This was the turning point in prolonged tensions between the US and Venezuela over the seizure of tankers carrying sanctioned oil as well as the alleged use of backdoor channels for alleged drug and human trafficking.
Mexico after Venezuela? Why US aviation body warned pilots about travelling over eastern Pacific area
