North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled aircraft after three separate violations of Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) over Mar-a-Lago on Saturday.
According to NORAD, the airspace breaches occurred at 11:05 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 12:50 p.m., prompting F-16 fighter jets to escort the offending aircraft out of the restricted zone. USA Today reported that during two of the intercepts, the F-16s deployed flares to alert the pilots.
This follows three previous airspace violations last month, with two occurring on Feb. 15 and one on Presidents Day, when President Trump was at his Palm Beach residence.
Following the incidents, NORAD issued a reminder to operators to carefully check all FAA Notices to Airmen, particularly those regarding Mar-a-Lago’s airspace.
Local news outlet Palm Beach Post highlighted the economic impact of President Trump’s frequent visits to his Palm Beach residence. In 2017, during Trump’s first term, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) estimated that Palm Beach County Airpark, also known as Lantana Airport, was losing as much as $30,000 a day during a three-day presidential stay.
