WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao’s Parliament has urged the government to press for binding agreements with the United States governing military flights in Curaçao’s territorial airspace and Flight Information Region.
In a motion adopted unanimously on December 15, lawmakers state that existing arrangements may be insufficient to prevent incidents involving uncoordinated or unannounced military operations, including electronic warfare activities or other disruptive actions near Curaçao’s airspace.
Parliament is calling for mandatory use of transponders during all military flights, prior notification of operations, and real-time coordination between U.S. military authorities and Curaçao’s air traffic control services.
The motion explicitly notes that the Forward Operating Location (FOL) agreement between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United States does not grant carte blanche for uncoordinated or unreported military flights within Curaçao’s airspace.
According to Parliament, diplomatic relations with the United States must be carefully managed but should never come at the expense of civil aviation safety, Curaçao’s autonomy, or the sovereignty of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.