The USA has been increasing its military presence off the coast of Venezuela for weeks. There, an Airbus A320 narrowly escaped a catastrophe.
December 15, 2025, 9:09 p.mDecember 15, 2025, 9:09 p.m
A passenger plane belonging to the US airline JetBlue narrowly avoided colliding with a US military jet off the coast of Venezuela. The pilot of the JetBlue Airbus A320 had to take evasive action on Friday, according to a recording of radio traffic captured by the website liveatc.net and made public on Monday.
JetBlue Flight 1112 had departed from the Caribbean state of Curacao and was approximately 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela when the Airbus A320 reported the encounter with the Air Force jet.
A JetBlue Airbus A320.Image: www.imago-images.de
“We almost had a collision in the air up here,” said the Jetblue pilot. The military jet flew just a few miles from the Airbus at the same altitude. «They flew directly in our flight path. You haven’t turned on your transponder. This is outrageous.” The Air Force jet then entered Venezuelan airspace.
US Army confirms near-collision off Venezuela
The US Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) said on Monday it was aware of the incident. This will be checked. “The flight crews are highly trained professionals who operate in accordance with applicable procedures and airspace requirements,” it said in a statement. Safety is the top priority.
JetBlue also said Monday that safety is the company’s top priority. The crew is trained for such situations. The incident has been reported to federal authorities and they will participate in any investigation.
The incident came amid growing tensions between the US and Venezuela. The US government has increased its military presence in the southern Caribbean. President Donald Trump is trying to force Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from office. He had unilaterally declared that Venezuela’s airspace was closed. Relations between the two countries are considered to be more tense than they have been in years.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had already warned airlines in November of a “potentially dangerous situation” when flying over Venezuela and advised them to be cautious. Major airlines from around the world have suspended flights to Venezuela due to increasing tensions. The FAA initially declined to comment on the incident on Monday.