WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, Jan 3, 2026, 09:59 ET
KLM on Saturday canceled flights to Curaçao and several other Caribbean destinations after what it described as the closure of airspace around the island amid the fallout from U.S. strikes in Venezuela. The airline said the cancellations affected 2,600 passengers, and Schiphol Airport’s flight information page listed KLM flight KL733 to Curaçao as cancelled.
The disruption matters for Curaçao because the island relies on air links for tourism and for connections to Europe and North America, especially during the winter travel peak.
It also underlines how quickly security events can spill into civil aviation, forcing carriers to suspend routes, reroute aircraft and rebook travelers at short notice.
Curaçao International Airport said earlier on Saturday that operations were running as scheduled, but warned that some flights could face delays or changes depending on airline decisions, urging passengers to check directly with their carriers.
American Airlines issued a travel alert for an “airspace closure” affecting multiple airports in the eastern Caribbean, including Curaçao, and said eligible customers could change trips without a fee under certain conditions. American Airlines
U.S. aviation regulators also moved to restrict flying near the conflict. The Federal Aviation Administration warned commercial and private U.S. pilots that airspace over Venezuela and Curaçao was off limits due to safety risks tied to “ongoing military activity,” according to The Associated Press. AP News
A NOTAM, short for “Notice to Air Missions,” is an aviation safety bulletin that alerts pilots to temporary hazards or restrictions, including airspace closures.
The disruptions followed an overnight U.S. operation in Venezuela that President Donald Trump said included a large-scale strike and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Reuters reported.
Across the wider region, JetBlue said it had canceled about 215 flights systemwide because of Caribbean airspace closures related to military activity, according to ABC News.
“Flight planning in this kind of environment is extremely difficult,” said Guy Murray, who leads aviation security at European carrier TUI Airline, in comments previously reported by Reuters on the growing strain conflict zones place on airlines. Reuters
The U.S. aviation regulator had warned airlines in late 2025 of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela, and some major U.S. carriers said at the time they had already stopped overflying the country, according to Reuters. Reuters
KLM said it was monitoring the situation and would decide later on the impact for flights scheduled in coming days to and from destinations including Curaçao, advising customers to keep checking for updates.
