The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), under the direction of the Department of Defense (DoD), issued a new Notice For Air Missions (NOTAM) establishing temporary flight restrictions over a narrow corridor south of the Municipality of Ceiba, over the sea.

The order with identifier FDC 5/9106 was issued yesterday, Thursday, and will go into effect on November 1, extending until March 31, 2026, according to the notice published on the federal agency’s digital platform, which even warns of penalties for pilots who disobey the instructions.

The new flight restrictions are in addition to a previous notice that runs through December 2025, which establishes similar measures in an area of Vieques “to provide a safe environment for munitions destruction operations“.

According to the notice, the FAA classified an area south of Ceiba, where the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Base is located, as “National Defense Airspace”. Therefore, pilots who do not comply may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by security or law enforcement personnel.

The agency further warned that additional actions may be taken against any pilot who fails to comply with the special requirements announced in this NOTAM, including imposition of civil penalties and suspension or revocation of licenses and certifications.

Also, the administration of President Donald Trump may bring criminal charges under 49 U.S.C. § 46307 for, among other things, violating national defense airspace.

“The U.S. Government may use lethal force against the aircraft if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat,” the notice stated.

The FAA said the restrictions are due to “special safety reasons”. The affected area is from latitude 18°11′07″ N to 17°52′20″ N and longitude 65°40′29″ W to 65°36′02″ W (the corridor in red in the main image), including airspace between 2,500 and 5,000 feet above sea level.

“Only DoD participating aircraft operations are authorized under its direction,” reads the notice.

According to the FAA, all aircraft entering or leaving the restricted flight area (TFR) must have an active flight plan, either IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) or VFR (Visual Flight Rules), with a discrete transponder code. The aircraft must transmit that code prior to takeoff and at all times while remaining within TFR.

In addition, all aircraft entering or leaving the TFR must maintain radio communication with air traffic control, according to the advisory.

Although the FAA did not specify the nature of the “special security reasons” that compelled the flight restriction, the measure coincides with an increase in U.S. military activity in the Caribbean amid tensions with Venezuela.

Recently, Trump defended, during a speech to U.S. troops in Japan, the attacks he has carried out against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean allegedly laden with drugs.

“Democrats on the radical left said they were just fishing. Well, submarines don’t fish, do they? You guys know more about submarines than I do,”he said aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at the Yokosuka naval base.

The Republican leader insisted that U.S. forces are destroying vessels designed to traffic drugs and carrying enough to “kill 25,000 Americans” from overdoses.

Since the continuing escalation of tensions with Venezuela, in Puerto Rico, specifically El Faro beach, in the municipality of Arroyo, military exercises have been carried out. In addition, aircraft and warships have arrived at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Ceiba.

Also, the Department of Defense ordered the mobilization of its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, Carrier Strike Group-12’s flagship, to Caribbean and South American waters, presumably to strengthen the ability to detect, monitor and counter illicit activities.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.