Aruba and Curaçao say U.S. aircraft will use transponders after near-incidents

WILLEMSTAD--According to NOS.nl, authorities in Aruba and Curaçao say American military aircraft operating in their airspace will switch on transponders, following agreements reached with the United States. However, an official U.S. confirmation of the agreements has not yet been issued.

Aruban Prime Minister Mike Eman said at a press conference yesterday that military exercises in the region will be increased, and that there is ongoing contact with other Kingdom countries and the U.S. He added that commercial air and maritime traffic will not be affected and should continue normally. Curaçao Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas confirmed the development last night, saying Washington has also reached out to several airlines and cruise lines, which will now be kept informed of the latest regional updates.

The issue has drawn international attention in recent days after several near-incidents in Curaçao’s airspace, where U.S. military aircraft without visible transponders reportedly interfered with commercial flights, with pilots in two cases saying they passed a military aircraft at very close range.

The report notes that the U.S. has recently increased its troop presence and naval ships in the Caribbean, and Trump said yesterday that Venezuela is now surrounded by what he called “the largest armada in the history of South America.” Since September, the U.S. has carried out more than 25 attacks on boats suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, resulting in many dozens of deaths.

Trump has said the strikes are aimed at stopping drug smuggling to the United States, while his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, told Vanity Fair this week that Trump also wants to overthrow Maduro’s regime, and she said he is driven by revenge against political opponents. Amid heightened military activity, the cruise ship Norwegian Epic chose not to dock in Curaçao yesterday, with Norwegian Cruise Line skipping the island at the last minute, the first time since the coronavirus pandemic that a cruise ship bypassed Curaçao for safety reasons.

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