Dutch ministers gave incorrect information about alleged closure of Caribbean airspace

ORANJESTAD/WILLEMSTAD — Dutch ministers David van Weel and Ruben Brekelmans made incorrect statements about the alleged closure of airspace over Aruba and Curaçao following the U.S. attack on Venezuela on January 3, 2026. The information comes from an investigation by Patricia Cronie of ANP, published through the investigative program Argos.

After the attack, KLM, TUI and Corendon suspended flights to Aruba and Curaçao, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. On January 8, Van Weel told the Dutch parliament that the airspace had reopened after 24 hours. Curaçao Transport Minister Charles Cooper, however, said Curaçao had never closed its airspace.

Brekelmans similarly said during a January 5 press conference in Aruba that the airspace had been closed for one day. The Dutch Defense Ministry later acknowledged, following questions from Argos, that this was an “inaccurate formulation” and confirmed that Aruba’s competent authorities had not formally closed the airspace on January 3.

The confusion appears to have resulted from a U.S. NOTAM restricting American civil aviation in the region. Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and are responsible for decisions concerning their own airspace.