The Federal Aviation Administration urged airlines to exercise extreme caution over the Maiquetía Flight Information Region due to increased military activity, leading major international airlines—including Iberia, LATAM, Air Europa, Plus Ultra, Avianca, Wingo, GOL, and Turkish Airlines—to suspend or reduce flights to Venezuela in recent days. The warning coincides with the largest US military buildup in the Caribbean in decades, commanded by General Dan Caine and involving the USS Gerald R. Ford, F-35 jets, and 15,000 troops, as well as the planned designation of Venezuela's "Cartel de los Soles," allegedly led by Nicolás Maduro, as a terrorist organization by the State Department with Secretary of State Marco Rubio endorsing the move. President Nicolás Maduro condemned the military buildup and drug trafficking accusations, while the International Air Transport Association appealed to the Venezuelan government to rescind its ultimatum demanding international airlines quickly resume Caracas flights or lose landing permits.