Disturbing cockpit audio has exposed a terrifying near-miss incident in which a JetBlue passenger jet was forced to take evasive action to avoid a potential collision with a United States Air Force tanker over the Caribbean.
A Harrowing Evasive Manoeuvre
The alarming event occurred on Friday as JetBlue Flight 1112 was climbing from its departure point in Curaçao, an island nation near Venezuela, en route to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. According to a recording of communications with air traffic control, the pilot was compelled to abruptly halt the aircraft's ascent after a military plane crossed directly into its flight path.
"We almost had a midair collision up here," the pilot can be heard stating. He reported that the other aircraft, identified as an Air Force air-to-air refueller, passed within an estimated two to five miles at the same altitude. "They passed directly in our flight path... They don't have their transponder turned on, it's outrageous," the pilot added, criticising the lack of a visible electronic signal from the military plane.
Geopolitical Tensions in the Skies
The pilot further reported that the Air Force tanker subsequently entered Venezuelan airspace. This incident unfolds against a backdrop of significantly heightened US military activity in the Caribbean region. The Trump administration has ramped up drug interdiction operations and is applying increased pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement on Sunday, JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski confirmed, "We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation." He praised the crew's handling of the situation, noting their training for such flight scenarios. The US Air Force has not yet provided public comment on the event.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a cautionary notice to US aircraft, urging them to "exercise caution" in Venezuelan airspace due to the "worsening security situation and heightened military activity."
Broader Context of Military Escalation
President Donald Trump has overseen the largest regional military build-up in decades, authorising a series of lethal strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Many of these operations have occurred along the Venezuelan coast, resulting in at least 83 deaths—a fact that has drawn condemnation from human rights groups and the United Nations.
The campaign against the Maduro regime intensified on 10 December with the US seizure of a tanker off Venezuela's coast, accused of transporting sanctioned oil. President Trump has explicitly blamed Maduro for mass migration from Venezuela and has accused his government of flooding North America with illicit drugs like fentanyl and cocaine.
This near-collision incident starkly illustrates how geopolitical manoeuvres and military posturing can have direct and dangerous consequences for civilian aviation safety, putting passenger lives at risk in contested international skies.
