Palm beach: A drone flying close to Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport briefly halted operations and prompted a security response as Air Force One was set to depart with US President Donald Trump on board, US media reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, the incident triggered an immediate ground stop and the deployment of helicopters to secure the surrounding airspace, said aviation news outlet The Bulkhead Seat. A pilot on a Delta Air Lines flight informed passengers about the situation in real time, explaining that a drone had come too close during the presidential departure and that authorities were responding.
The US Secret Service, however, refuted the drone account, telling Anadolu there was no airspace violation at the airport. Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi stated that the helicopter mentioned in reports was authorized for that specific area and was unrelated to any drone or temporary flight restriction violation. “At no point was there any risk to AF1 or the President’s safety,” he said, referring to the official presidential plane.
Air Force One departed safely and without incident, according to the aviation news outlet. The ground stop was lifted shortly afterward, and airport operations returned to normal.
Separately, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported that F-16 fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft that had violated the temporary flight restriction over Palm Beach at approximately 1.15 pm local time (1715GMT). The aircraft was “safely escorted” out of the area, with NORAD noting that its jets dispensed flares during the intercept, which may have been visible to the public, as a signal to the pilot. The flares posed no danger to people on the ground.
It remains unclear whether these two incidents were the same event or, if they were separate incidents, whether they were related. Neither the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) nor the Secret Service has issued a broader official statement on the incident.
Trump frequently spends weekends and extended periods at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. In February, an armed man who breached the perimeter of the resort was shot and killed by Secret Service agents and local police. Trump was in Washington at the time.