In response to a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory, six major airlines have suspended flights to Venezuela, citing heightened security risks and military activity in the region. The airlines—Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Chile’s LATAM, Colombia’s Avianca, Brazil’s GOL, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean—announced the cancellations on Saturday, according to Marisela de Loaiza, president of the Venezuelan Airlines Association (ALAV). The FAA warned of potential threats to civilian aircraft in Venezuelan airspace, including during takeoff, landing, and overflight, due to the ‘worsening security situation.’ While some carriers, such as Panama’s Copa Airlines, Spain’s Air Europa and PlusUltra, Turkish Airlines, and Venezuela’s LASER, continue operations, the duration of the suspensions remains unclear. The US has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the region, ostensibly to combat drug trafficking. However, these actions have raised concerns in Caracas about potential regime change. A US terrorism designation targeting a drug cartel allegedly led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro takes effect Monday, further escalating tensions. Since September, US forces have conducted strikes on over 20 vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing more than 80 people, though evidence linking these vessels to drug smuggling remains undisclosed.