US air authority warns of military activities' over Mexico, South America

"The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued notices to airlines, urging them to exercise caution over Mexico and other Central American countries, as well as Ecuador and Colombia, due to military activities. On Friday, the FAA released a series of advisories that come amid an ongoing US military buildup in the Latin America region, including US military attacks on Venezuela, and US President Donald Trump's warning to Cuba and threats of strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia,"

"The FAA issued warnings of a potentially hazardous situation in a number of areas, including above parts of the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortes. The warnings issued on Friday will last 60 days, the FAA said. Last month, a JetBlue passenger jet bound for New York took evasive action to avoid a midair collision with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela."

"Following the US military's January 3 attack on Caracas and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Trump has raised the possibility of other military actions in the area, including against Colombia. Trump said last week that cartels were running Mexico and that the US will now start hitting land to combat them, in one of a series of threats to deploy US military force against drug traffickers."

FAA issued 60-day advisories urging airlines to exercise caution over Mexico, other Central American countries, Ecuador and Colombia because of military activities. The warnings cover areas above parts of the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. The advisories come amid an ongoing US military buildup in the region, including US attacks on Venezuela and threats by President Trump toward Cuba and drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia. A recent near-miss involved a JetBlue passenger jet and a US Air Force tanker without an active transponder. Earlier FAA restrictions forced hundreds of flight cancellations across the Caribbean. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said efforts produced "compelling results" tackling drug cartels.

Read at www.aljazeera.com