WEST PALM BEACH (AP) – Air Force fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft flying in the temporarily restricted airspace near Donald Trump’s Florida home on Sunday, bringing the number of violations to more than 20 since the president took office on January 20.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement that Sunday’s incident, which took place as Trump finished a round of golf at his West Palm Beach golf course, saw F-16s deploy flares to get the attention of the civilian pilot.
Jets also conducted an intercept on Saturday morning shortly after Trump arrived at the course from his private Mar-a-Lago club and residence.
The airspace intrusions in the heavily congested south Florida airspace have prompted fighter jet intercepts but did not alter Trump’s schedule or impact his security, officials said.
NORAD said the flares may have been visible from the ground but that they burn out quickly and don’t pose danger.
Federal officials maintain a permanent flight restriction over Trump’s club that expands to a radius of 30 nautical miles when the president is in residence. Violations, and intercepts, are relatively routine, but NORAD is raising alarm over the frequency of the intrusions since Trump’s inauguration, saying it has responded to more than 20 incidents and blames civilian pilots for not following regulations requiring them to check for airspace restrictions before taking off.
“Adherence to temporary flight restriction (TFR) procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President,” General Gregory Guillot, the commander of NORAD and US Northern Command said in a statement. “The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMS, before each flight as required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR.”
Related News
03 Mar, 2025
Indian team manager leaves midway throug . . .
15 Feb, 2025
What Lexi Thompson's LPGA Schedule May L . . .
11 Feb, 2025
Prince Harry and Meghan joke with Michae . . .
13 Feb, 2025
Harry Connick Jr. to debut new compositi . . .
03 Mar, 2025
Sir Keir Starmer warns leaders West is a . . .
12 Feb, 2025
Top 2 Reasons Indonesian Tourists Go on . . .
05 Mar, 2025
Roma legend Totti snubs Lookman, names A . . .
11 Mar, 2025
'Two Years Is Very Long Time': Ex-India . . .