BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, January 3, 2026, 10:05 ET
- Grantley Adams International Airport said it remained open, but multiple flights were cancelled or delayed amid airspace restrictions linked to Venezuela.
- KLM cancelled five departures including KL783; JetBlue and Delta also scrapped some Southern Caribbean services, the airport operator said.
- The FAA issued an aviation bulletin barring U.S. aircraft from Venezuelan airspace and warning Curaçao airspace was off limits, the AP reported.
Flights to and from Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport were cancelled or delayed on Saturday after U.S. strikes in Venezuela prompted airspace restrictions across parts of the southern Caribbean, the airport operator said. Grantley Adams (BGI) remained open, but GAIA Inc said cancellations included KLM’s KL783 and some JetBlue and Delta services bound for Barbados and nearby islands.
The disruption hit routes that funnel tourists and island residents through Barbados, a key gateway for the Eastern Caribbean. It also raised the risk of missed connections as airlines reworked schedules at short notice.
The scramble followed an overnight U.S. operation in Venezuela in which President Donald Trump said U.S. forces had carried out a “large scale strike” and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Reuters reported. Venezuelan officials said civilians and military personnel were killed in the strikes, without giving figures. Reuters
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a NOTAM — an aviation safety bulletin — barring U.S. aircraft from Venezuelan airspace and warning that airspace over the nearby island of Curaçao was off limits due to safety-of-flight risks linked to military activity, the Associated Press reported.
KLM said the airspace around Curaçao had been closed due to the situation in Venezuela and that it cancelled five flights scheduled to depart on Saturday — KL733, KL735, KL765, KL775 and KL783 — affecting 2,600 passengers. The carrier said it would decide later on the impact to flights scheduled in coming days to and from destinations including Bridgetown, Curaçao, Aruba and Georgetown.
JetBlue told customers that flights scheduled for Saturday and Sunday could see disruptions because of international airspace restrictions affecting parts of the Caribbean, and said it was offering a fee waiver to change flights.
Airspace restrictions can force aircraft to reroute around a conflict zone, adding time and fuel while disrupting crew schedules. Those knock-on effects can trigger further cancellations when planes and crews end up out of position.
The southern Caribbean’s geography makes it sensitive to restrictions near Venezuela and nearby islands that sit on common flight paths. Even when airports remain open, airlines can decide to suspend service if they cannot operate routes safely or reliably.
For Barbados, any sustained disruption risks spilling into hotels, cruise transfers and regional connections, particularly for travellers who rely on same-day links via U.S. hubs.
“Geopolitical tensions continue to dominate the headlines and drive the markets,” said Marchel Alexandrovich, an economist at Saltmarsh Economics. Reuters
GAIA urged passengers to check directly with airlines for the most current flight status and rebooking options. The airport operator said it was monitoring the situation with the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association.
With aviation authorities issuing new notices as the situation evolves, airlines said they would continue to assess operations and update customers through their official channels.
