Photo: Alamy
Air Force jet fighters redirected another aircraft flying in restricted airspace above President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home on Sunday.
The Air Force has encountered over 20 violations of the airspace since Trump returned to office in January.
“Adherence to TFR [temporary flight restriction] procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of NORAD and US Northern Command said in a statement.
“Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President. 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 FAA, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR. Should the pilot of an aircraft happen to find itself intercepted by one of fighters or helicopters, they should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies,” it added.
Airspace intrusions in the busy South Florida airspace have led to fighter jet intercepts but have not affected Trump’s schedule or security, officials reported. NORAD stated that while the flares may have been visible from the ground, they burn out quickly and pose no threat.
Federal authorities enforce a permanent flight restriction over Trump’s club, extending to a 30-nautical-mile radius when the president is present.
While airspace violations and intercepts are fairly common, NORAD has expressed concern over the increasing frequency of such incidents since Trump’s inauguration. The agency has responded to more than 20 intrusions and attributes the issue to civilian pilots failing to check airspace restrictions before departure.
According to Palm Beach Daily News, Trump arrived at PBIA on Friday evening after delivering remarks at a White House digital assets summit, marking his fifth visit to Mar-a-Lago since taking office. He was accompanied by Elon Musk, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and aide Walt Nauta.