WILLEMSTAD - Who controls Caribbean airspace, and how much authority do the Caribbean countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands actually have when a regional crisis unfolds?
Those questions are at the center of an investigation by journalist Patricia Cronie for Argos, the investigative journalism program of VPRO and HUMAN on NPO Radio 1. The investigation examines what happened in Caribbean airspace during the U.S. military operation in Venezuela on January 3, 2026, and what the episode reveals about the division of authority within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
On January 3, U.S. forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. On the same day, Dutch airlines canceled their flights to Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.
KLM reported that “the airspace around Curaçao” had been closed. TUI referred to “imposed restrictions in local airspace,” while Corendon issued a similar explanation.
But according to authorities in Curaçao, the airspace was never closed.
That contradiction prompted Cronie to begin an investigation that lasted several months. For the 35-minute radio documentary, she spoke with air traffic authorities, government ministers, airlines and experts in Curaçao, Aruba and the Netherlands.
Journalist Cronie interviewing Micilia Albertus-Verboom
Micilia Albertus-Verboom of Dutch Caribbean Air Navigation Service Provider (DC-ANSP) confirms in the Argos broadcast that the Curaçao Flight Information Region (FIR) remained open on January 3. She also describes how the situation developed from the perspective of air traffic control and what information authorities received during the crisis.
The investigation found that Dutch government ministers subsequently made inaccurate statements suggesting that Caribbean airspace had been closed.
During a Dutch Parliament committee debate on January 8 about the consequences of the Venezuela operation for the Caribbean islands, then-Foreign Affairs Minister David van Weel said that “fortunately, after 24 hours, the airspace was reopened and air traffic resumed.”
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs later told Argos that Van Weel had meant that commercial airline flight operations had resumed after 24 hours.
Then-Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans made a similar statement during a press conference in Aruba on January 5, saying that the airspace had been closed for one day.
After questions from Argos, the Ministry of Defense acknowledged that this had been “an inaccurate formulation.” The ministry confirmed that Aruba's airspace was not formally closed by the competent authorities on January 3.
Cronie argues that accuracy is particularly important because the Dutch foreign affairs and defense ministers exercise responsibilities covering the entire Kingdom, including the Caribbean islands.
According to the journalist, inaccurate information can lead to incorrect decisions, making it especially important that statements from ministers accurately reflect what occurred.
The investigation also sought to establish where the airlines obtained their initial information.
KLM, TUI and Corendon did not provide Argos with a clear answer about the source of claims that the airspace had been closed or that restrictions had been imposed.
KLM has since told the program that it independently decided to suspend its flights because of safety concerns. TUI and Corendon similarly said they made their own decisions to halt operations based on safety considerations.
There was an American Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, in effect that day. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had imposed flight restrictions on American civil aviation. However, those restrictions did not apply to Dutch airlines.
Curaçao Minister of Traffic, Transportation and Urban Planning Charles Cooper was unequivocal when asked who has authority over Curaçao's airspace.
Cronie interviewing Minister Cooper
“The airspace does not belong to the Americans. So they cannot decide whether our airspace is closed or not,” Cooper said. “The Americans don't decide here; we decide here.”
The investigation consequently goes beyond what happened on January 3. It raises a broader constitutional and operational question about where authority lies during an international security crisis affecting the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, and how decisions and information are communicated between Curaçao, Aruba and the Netherlands.
Cronie interviewing Aruban Prime Minister Eman
“Who Controls Caribbean Airspace?” was broadcasted by Argos on NPO Radio 1 on Saturday, September 26, at 8:00 a.m. Curaçao time. The program will subsequently be available through the Argos Actueel podcast.
The investigation was produced with support from the Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten.
Patricia Cronie
Argos investigation journalist