By Alicia Chamely
TRINIDAD and Tobago’s airspace remains open, confirms Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge.
In a press release on Saturday, amid circulating rumours that T&T’s airspace had been closed due to the early morning US military strikes in Venezuela, Sturge stated the nation’s airspace remained open.
At 6am UTC or 2 am local time, the FAA issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) prohibiting all American aircraft from entering Venezuelan airspace.
Out of an abundance of precaution, many commercial air carriers cancelled flights into the Caribbean region and Latin America.
The Ministry of Defence stated the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AATT) confirmed the following airlines had cancelled flights into T&T:
- KLM;
- United Airlines;
- American Airlines;
- JetBlue; and
- Amerijet Cargo
Despite these cancellations Sturge stated “that Trinidad and Tobago’s airspace remains open.”
On Saturday morning JetBlue passengers travelling on flight 2017 from New York’s JFK airport to Piarco International Airport, were left stunned and confused, as one hour into their flight the pilot announced the plane had to turn around and returned to JFK due to closure of Caribbean airspace.
A WhatsApp message sent to AZP News by a stranded passenger read, “We left JFK at 1.45 am and one hour into the flight, we had to turn around to head back to JFK. Now we are stuck and the airline is just as clueless what to do.”
A bulletin on JetBlue’s website confirmed flights to the Caribbean on Saturday and Sunday may be disrupted due to airspace regulations.
The bulletin read, “Due to international airspace restrictions affecting portions of the Caribbean, some commercial flights may be impacted. We will waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling Saturday, January 3, through Sunday, January 4, 2026”
Similarly, a travel advisory on Dutch airline KLM stated flights to the region would also be disrupted.
KLM’s advisory posted on their website stated, “Due to the security situation in Venezuela from Saturday 3 January 2026 to Tuesday 6 January 2026, some of our flights to, from or via Aruba, Bonaire, Bridgetown, Curacao, Georgetown, Port of Spain, and Sint Maarten may be disrupted.”
Local air carrier Caribbean Airlines confirmed, unlike their foreign based counterparts, their scheduled flights had not been affected by any airspace closure, and all flights remain on schedule.
An update on CAL’s website read, “Caribbean Airlines advises that there are no disruptions to its services for today, Saturday 3rd January 2026, and operations continue as scheduled.”
See links to AZP News coverage of US strikes in Venezuela:
Police on Heightened Alert after US takes Maduro
Photo of Maduro in Custody: Trump Releases on Truth Social
Machado: Hour of Freedom is here
Venezuela Defence Minister Denounces US Military Intervention
‘Like a Television Show’: Trump Revels in Maduro’s Capture
No más Maduro: Venezuelan President Captured as US Strikes Caracas
Kamla: T&T has Peaceful Relations with Venezuela
CARICOM Monitoring Venezuela Situation
PNM Committed to ‘Zone of Peace’
