*

FAA closes Caribbean airspace to US carriers due to

military

activity

*

FAA warns non-US carriers to avoid flying near Venezuelan

airspace

By Dan Catchpole

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Major airlines on Saturday canceled

hundreds of flights following a U.S. military operation in

Venezuela that resulted ‌in the capture of President Nicolas

Maduro.

American Airlines ( AAL ), Delta, United Air Lines

, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways ( JBLU )

began ​cancelling flights early on Saturday morning in

compliance with Federal Aviation Administration airspace

closures ‍in the Caribbean.

JetBlue ( JBLU ) canceled 215 flights, a spokesperson for the ⁠airline

said.

The FAA closed ⁠the airspace to U.S. carriers "due to

safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military

activity," the agency said in a notice ‌to airmen.

The agency issued other security notices ​for non-U.S. air

carriers, cautioning them from entering Venezuelan airspace. A

notice to British operators warned of "potential risk from

anti-aircraft weaponry and heightened military activity" ⁠if

flying within 100 miles (160 km) of ‍Venezuelan airspace.

The ​FAA declined to comment further.

NON-U.S. AIRLINES ALSO CANCEL FLIGHTS

Several European and South American airlines also canceled

flights.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post ‍on X

that airspace restrictions will be lifted "when appropriate."

American military activity near Venezuela led to a near

mid-air crash in November between a JetBlue ( JBLU ) airliner and a U.S.

aerial refueling tanker, according to news reports.

Several carriers waived change fees and fare differences for

customers affected by the airspace closures if they changed

their flights to later in ​the month.

Once ‍restrictions are lifted, it will still take several

days to restore operations to normal, airline analyst Robert

Mann said. "They have a day's worth of passengers ​basically,"

already stranded in the Caribbean, he said.

The United States attacked Venezuela and captured its

long-serving President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation

on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said, promising to put

the country under American control for now, including by

deploying U.S. forces if necessary.

Air Canada ( ACDVF ) said its operations to the Caribbean and

South America are continuing normally under guidance from

Transport Canada. "We ​continue to monitor the situation closely

and we will update as required if the situation changes," the

airline said.

Commercial air traffic over Venezuelan airspace appeared to

stop after the attack, according to flight records on

FlightRadar24.