JetBlue pilot aborts climb to avoid US Air Force tanker over Caribbean

A JetBlue flight departing the Caribbean island of Curaçao was forced to halt its ascent on Friday to avoid what the pilot described as a near midair collision with a US Air Force refuelling tanker, raising fresh concerns about military activity in busy civilian airspace.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot told air traffic control, according to a recorded exchange. “They passed directly in our flight path… They don’t have their transponder turned on. It’s outrageous.”

The incident occurred as the aircraft was climbing, with the pilot saying the military tanker crossed directly in front of the JetBlue jet at the same altitude.

“We just had traffic pass directly in front of us, within 5 miles [8km] of us, maybe 2 or 3 miles [3 or 5km], but it was an air-to-air refueller from the United States Air Force, and he was at our altitude,” the pilot said. “We had to stop our climb.”

According to the pilot, the US Air Force aircraft then continued into Venezuelan airspace.

The close call comes amid an expanded US military presence in the Caribbean, where Washington has intensified drug interdiction operations and stepped up pressure on the Venezuelan government. Last month, the US Federal Aviation Administration warned American aircraft to “exercise caution” when operating in or near Venezuelan airspace, citing a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity”.

JetBlue confirmed the incident on Sunday.

“We have reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation,” spokesman Derek Dombrowski said. “Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team.”

The Pentagon referred questions to the US Air Force, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In the air traffic control recording, the controller appeared to share the pilot’s frustration, responding: “It has been outrageous with the unidentified aircraft within our air.”

No injuries were reported, and the JetBlue flight continued safely after the encounter.