US military plane almost collided with commercial flight in Caribbean airspace

Published at: 15/12/2025 11:39 AM

A U.S. military aircraft was about to collide with a commercial flight in Caribbean airspace, after entering the same route and altitude as the JetBlue that covered the Curaçao-New York route, without establishing any communication with the civilian crew.

JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowsk interrupted the ascent after identifying the United States Air Force refueling plane a few kilometers away, according to communications with air traffic controllers. According to local media, the military aircraft operated without a transponder and later went into Venezuelan airspace.

“We almost had a collision in the air up here. A plane just passed in front of us less than 8 kilometers away, maybe 3 or 5 kilometers away, but it was a US Air Force in-flight refueling plane,” he said.

Derek Dombrowski reported the incident to federal authorities and said she was willing to collaborate in any investigation.

The Maiquetia FIR (or Maiquetia Flight Information Region, as it is also known) was established by international regulation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This is the airspace area controlled by the Maiquetía control tower, where Venezuela has operational responsibility for carrying out air control tasks, providing traffic and communication services to all incoming aircraft, and ensuring their safety and coordination. It extends for 12 nautical miles, beyond the country's sovereign borders.

The episode comes after President Donald Trump's order to close Venezuelan airspace and subject the surrounding area to military surveillance. In recent months, the Bolivarian Government has reported repeated overflights of U.S. planes near its shores, detected on several occasions by the national defense system, according to a press release from Telesur.

Mazo News Team