Although quietly posted, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 16 January 2026 released a set of Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) warning U.S. operators to “exercise caution” in Mexican, Central American and eastern-Pacific flight regions because of unspecified military activities. The advisory (effective for 60 days) follows heightened U.S. naval and air manoeuvres after last week’s strike in Venezuela and has already led several business-jet operators to reroute flights departing from Southern California.
The NOTAMs, accessible via the “KICZ” international flight-advice system, do not close the airspace but remind carriers that insurance coverage may be void if they ignore government warnings. For corporate travel planners, the immediate task is to coordinate with charter providers and travel-management companies to confirm routings and fuel stops—especially for missions to Mexico City, San José or Panama City.
![FAA Issues New NOTAMs Covering Parts of Mexico and Eastern Pacific Airspace]()
If trip planners also discover that certain crewmembers or passengers suddenly require visas or eTA authorizations for revised routings, VisaHQ can expedite those documents online, often in as little as 24 hours. The company’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) consolidates requirements for more than 200 jurisdictions, letting operators upload passports, track status in real time, and chat with specialists who understand aviation-specific constraints.
The advisory also intersects with CBP arrival procedures. Crews who elect to divert to alternate U.S. airports should be prepared for additional scrutiny under the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), and mobile global-entry enrolment events in San Diego and Houston have been postponed to free CBP officers for contingency operations.
While the NOTAMs sit just outside the 24-hour news cycle, they remain valid through mid-March and therefore directly affect flights being booked today. Mobility managers should disseminate the updated routes, verify that company insurance policies permit operations in airspace subject to U.S. government caution, and build extra padding into connection schedules.
The NOTAMs, accessible via the “KICZ” international flight-advice system, do not close the airspace but remind carriers that insurance coverage may be void if they ignore government warnings. For corporate travel planners, the immediate task is to coordinate with charter providers and travel-management companies to confirm routings and fuel stops—especially for missions to Mexico City, San José or Panama City.
If trip planners also discover that certain crewmembers or passengers suddenly require visas or eTA authorizations for revised routings, VisaHQ can expedite those documents online, often in as little as 24 hours. The company’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) consolidates requirements for more than 200 jurisdictions, letting operators upload passports, track status in real time, and chat with specialists who understand aviation-specific constraints.
The advisory also intersects with CBP arrival procedures. Crews who elect to divert to alternate U.S. airports should be prepared for additional scrutiny under the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), and mobile global-entry enrolment events in San Diego and Houston have been postponed to free CBP officers for contingency operations.
While the NOTAMs sit just outside the 24-hour news cycle, they remain valid through mid-March and therefore directly affect flights being booked today. Mobility managers should disseminate the updated routes, verify that company insurance policies permit operations in airspace subject to U.S. government caution, and build extra padding into connection schedules.
